


Nothing in this world but myself to protect me

by thatoneshippyblog



Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Parents, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Anxiety Attacks, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Breeding, Codependency, Coming Untouched, Cunnilingus, Daddy Issues, Deepthroating, Dirty Talk, Dubious Consent, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Face-Fucking, First Time, Gang Rape, Gaslighting, Incest, Incestuous Rape, M/M, Masturbation, Moresomes, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, Nipple Play, Overstimulation, Panic Attacks, Parent/Child Incest, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Praise Kink, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Rape Aftermath, Repression, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Slight D/s Elements, Starvation, Subspace, Torture, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Vaginal Fingering, Victim Blaming, Violence, Wall Sex, only two years but it's enough
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 06:17:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 287,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4596096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatoneshippyblog/pseuds/thatoneshippyblog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It started when they were young. Mal was six, Jay was one week away from eight, Evie had just turned ten, and Carlos. Carlos was different ages, but it actually happened when he was eleven.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. As my childhood treasures burn

**Author's Note:**

> Every fandom needs a trash dump dwelling author, so hello! 
> 
> So. There is rape and sexual activities involving persons under the age of 18 in this fic, but none of the lead characters are the rapist. (I didn't tag "lead character/OMC" because I feel like that isn't a proper warning for rape.) The rape is never glorified, belittled (well, by the main four), or eroticized, but its aftermath and its trauma aren't exactly handled in a healthy way, seeing as the four descendants grew up on an island that doesn't have the best of moral compasses. This means pretty much all sexual activity could be construed as dubious consent. If that isn't your cup of tea, thanks for coming this far. If it isn't your cup of tea and you're still willing to read further, well, I've warned you. 
> 
> The rape is never graphic, but I understand that people's definition of graphic varies, so again, read at your own discretion. If you think I need to add more tags/tag something better, let me know. 
> 
> Unbeta'd, so all mistakes are my own.

It started when they were young.

———

Mal was six years old the first time someone approached her with ill intentions, goading her into a corner of the ransack bazaar with a wicked grin and a dark look in his eyes, reaching for inappropriate places. An unease settled in Mal's stomach, and that feeling mixed with fear and anger in such a way that the concoction turned her eyes emerald green for the first time. The unsavory man paused at her gaze, his hand just barely slipping beneath her shorts, and Mal recognized the recognition on his face — the same expression everyone had whenever they realized just whose daughter she was.

She never saw someone run so fast.

Later, when she recalled the incident to her mother at dinner, Mal described both feelings: the one in her stomach and the one in her eyes. She never faltered once in her explanations, not even when a look of disgust crossed Maleficent's features and stayed there until Mal finished speaking.

"That lowly piece of rat droppings!" Maleficent had all but snarled after a few moments of silence. "To think he could touch something of mine!" Her cold gaze settled on Mal, and Mal sat straighter, pushing away the jab she felt in her heart at her mother's words to make room for the fear of her mother's gaze.

"And you let him get so close. Must I take care of what you couldn't manage?" Her words and eyes held a promise of retribution, disdain on her face.

"No, mother," Mal said dutifully, mostly to give Maleficent one less thing to rant about, mostly to hide how insecure she felt.

But she never saw that man again, and a part of her was glad. Another part of her, though, still felt a twinge of fear at the thought that he could be out there, hiding somewhere on the island, waiting for another chance to do — whatever it was he wanted to do. And yet another part of her felt disgusted at the fear still within her. Who should she fear, she who had the Mistress of Evil as a mother? No one.

And yet...

So she trained herself not to fear those dark alleys, trained herself to command that feeling of change in her eyes at will, trained herself to deal with any other who thought they could enter her space without her permission — and there would always be more, always someone _else_ like that first man. She relished in the regret in their eyes when she dealt with them.

She trained herself to hold that confidence of evil, to walk as if no one could touch her, to grin and smirk and snarl at everyone beneath her.

But Mal never forgot that unease, as it lingered around her edges.

———

Jay was one week away from eight years old when someone jumped him. Perhaps too eager about the upcoming birthday, a party his father promised to be an _actual_ birthday party, Jay hadn't been paying close attention to his surroundings, so he didn't see the man huddled by the wall, one functioning eye locked on the young boy.

But Jay felt the smack to the side of his head, felt his eye sting and ear ring, felt the rough hand pull him by the arm down into the rubble. The man sneered at him as he backhanded Jay, the pain fierce but not strong enough to stop the unease that settled in Jay's stomach as that man loomed above him with a hand tugging at Jay's pants, getting into them. Fear and rage, white hot for the first time, churned with that unease, giving Jay the strength to kick the man in the stomach and, with a charred piece of wood lying next to him, smack that man across the face with all his might.

Not daring to admire his handiwork, Jay ran. He ran all the way to his father's sickeningly humble abode. He'd never run so fast.

Later, when he retold the event because his father noticed first his empty hands and second the cut and bruises, Jay tried to act nonchalant about how he felt trapped and how he poured his might into getting away, even as his father grew more disgusted.

"The nerve of that infidel!" Jafar cursed with flavor the moment Jay stopped speaking. "Thinking he can put his hands on my number one supplier!" He stared Jay down, as if Jay was the one at fault. "You should have been faster! Or stronger, more cunning, something!" he added with a wave of his hand. "Never let anyone get the drop on you again." His words, and the finger he pointed, held promise of severe consequences should Jay fail.

"Yes, dad," Jay said, solemn for once because he couldn't find anything funny about the situation.

He saw that man again, saw him several times, made sure he saw him. Jay told himself it wasn't fear that made him scan all the faces on the streets or in the alleys; it was simply good policy to stay one step ahead of everyone. He told himself he had nothing to fear on those streets, as long as he kept his eyes open.

And yet...

So he trained himself not to fear the people huddling in waiting, trained himself to be stronger and faster than those who thought they could touch him the way that first man did — and there were always others, but he saw them coming and was ready for them, taught them why he wasn't an easy mark.

He trained himself to smile and laugh off everything, to make everything he did look easy, like he had no care in the world. He grinned, despite the memory of that unease creeping in the back of his mind.

———

Evie had just turned ten when she caught more than someone's eye. Raised like a princess, she expected and welcomed the stares of others, but when a passer-by pulled her away from her gardens, his grip bruising her arm while he leered at her with an open mouth and dark eyes, unease wasted no time in pooling around her stomach for the first time. No one had ever grabbed her like that, pulled her close and tried to take by force, and anger and fear swelled up inside her, allowing her to send the heel of her shoe crunching down on the man's toes. She scratched his face when he screamed, and she ran.

Her heart had never beat so fast.

Later, when she was retelling the offense to her mother who demanded to know how her nails were ruined with blood, Evie spoke indignantly as to belie the fear she felt at being plucked from her garden as if a mere flower.

"How wretched," her mother crowed, disgust twisting her features. "No doubt some filthy common cretin! Looks like your beauty is only subpar to attract such street rabble." The Evil Queen turned up her nose, settling Evie with a look of reprimand. "You need to work harder on your looks so that _princes_ would think to grab you."

"Yes, mother," Evie said quietly, hiding how hurt her mother's words made her.

She noticed them more, really noticed, and kept her distance to make sure they kept theirs. It wasn't fear, she told herself; it was disgust at the notion that anyone thought they could touch and take without her permission. She was royalty, she demanded to be respected, demanded no one approach her unless she decided they were worthy of her attention. Fear had nothing to do with how she eyed each person critically.

And yet...

So she trained not only herself but others: she mastered how to catch everyone's eyes, how to ensure the attention and harness their lust to make them weak, trained them so that they would be incapable of action unless she willed it. Fear no longer held her, but sometimes that unease lingered around the edges whenever she thought about just how many eyes were on her.

She trained herself to be confident and flirty, to always be seen as a beauty, even when she was screaming on the inside.

———

Carlos was different ages, as it happened more than once.

—

Younger and weaker than the rest of his peers, Carlos knew fear early on from his mother, knew what it meant when she came home in a foul mood, knew what it meant when he didn't do a decent job on his chores. So when others, adults and kids alike, beat him for no reason, he knew how to embrace fear, was used to how it overtook him, used to how it made his body curl up in an attempt to lesson the damage. What he had no context for was that uneasy feeling that settled in his gut when one day a beating, somehow, turned worse.

With no anger to balance the fear and unease within him, Carlos did not get away. He didn't move, body paralyzed even as his heart could not stop racing. The man, older than his mother, pushed him into the ground harder, yanked his clothes away, and Carlos learned exactly how much worse a beating could turn. Carlos hardly made a sound, and when he did, it was only when it hurt too much to keep it in. But he couldn't stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks.

It was his eleventh birthday, and Carlos had no birthday wishes or thoughts of presents, only had pain and fear and self-loathing and the sickest of uneasy feelings in his gut as he lay there on the ground.

There was no resolve to train himself to be something bigger, something badder, something that would make others think twice before messing with him. In Carlos' mind, what was done was done, leaving only a broken mess in its wake.

———

It was Jay, of all people, who found Carlos in the aftermath of that first time, body bloodied and face tear-streaked as he lay belly down on the ground. Having been used to seeing Carlos be on the receiving end of beatings, Jay opened his mouth to deliver the jeering expected from a villain's kid, but something caught his eye — the different atmosphere. He noticed how Carlos' jacket was torn to hell, how his shorts — underwear, too — were ripped and bunched around his ankles, how Carlos stared straight ahead with unblinking, glazed over eyes, as if in a trance, which Jay knew couldn't be the case as there was no magic on the island.

Seeing Carlos in that condition brought up a memory in Jay's mind, too vivid and too raw despite how long had past since it occurred: a man with one functioning eye looming over him as he reached in Jay's pants. Shaking his head, Jay had to take a step back to gain his bearings back in the present.

His movement brought Carlos back as well; he finally blinked, his eyes clearer but still dim, and the boy looked at his surroundings with an almost-painful-to-watch slowness.

Jay almost cussed him out, for moving so slow when all Jay knew was swiftness, for reminding Jay why he needed to be swift in the first place, but Jay held his tongue. Because if remembering the feeling of it almost happening to him upset Jay so much, Jay didn't want to know how Carlos felt having actually experienced it.

Something like a whimper caught Jay's attention, and he looked up to find himself staring right into Carlos' eyes. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours until Carlos sniffled — and Jay almost cussed him out again.

"Go away," Carlos said, voice hoarse and shaky but firm. He began to get up, but he stumbled back to the ground, wincing.

Without really thinking about it, Jay stepped forward to help, but he paused when Carlos flinched. Chewing the inside of his lip, Jay decided to throw out all that the island had taught him and approached carefully, not discouraged by Carlos' pitiful attempt at a glare as he got closer.

Which Jay wished he hadn't done because seeing the damage up close was another thing entirely.

"What are you do—"

"Your legs are messed up," Jay said, cutting Carlos off with a half-hearted wave of his hand. He decided to be decent for once and not mention what else was messed up. "Come on, get up." He tossed down a towel he swiped earlier, figuring his dad wouldn't be impressed with it anyway.

Hesitantly, Carlos took the towel as he tried to get up again, succeeding this time. "What are you doing?" he asked again as he began straightening out his clothes, cleaning up as best as he could. His face was red — embarrassment or shame or anger. Maybe all three. 

"Waiting for you to finish," Jay replied easily, pointedly not looking when Carlos brought the towel to his backside.

Horror crossed Carlos' face, and he paused his actions. "You're still going to sell this after I'm finished with it?"

Jay actually managed a snort. "No, idiot." Though, really, his father had sold things in worse conditions before.

Relief washed over Carlos as he resumed cleaning, but then he glanced at Jay with suspicion. "Then why are you waiting for me to finish?" He's confused and still wary, but he's a lot more open toward Jay than Jay ever remembered seeing the kid be in school.

He didn't know why that brought back the feeling of unease.

"Cause your legs are messed up," Jay said in his best _shouldn't it be obvious_ voice. Even though what he was about to offer would be obvious to no one on the island.

"Why would you care about that?" Carlos' voice was laced with suspicion, but there was something else in his expression, something like... hope.

_Crap._ "Because I'm gonna escort you to your place." He made a grand, stupid gesture in bowing as he grinned; he was good at making people think he danced through life, that he didn't care. "After all, you used up one of my scores, so I figure you're gonna give me a replacement."

The suspicion left Carlos' features lightning quick, and he gave a little nod and a half shrug, as if Jay's reasoning made perfect sense, as if Jay couldn't possibly have any nicer ulterior motives.

The unease in Jay's gut tightened.

"I'll give you a towel. Nothing else," Carlos said, finishing the last of his attempts at cleaning up. He took a step forward only to shake and flail as he went down, and he reached out to grab Jay's arm.

It took a lot to stomp down his reflex of moving out the way so he could catch Carlos, who turned red again. Something else tightened in Jay's gut, something Jay didn't want to think about.

"Dude, this is gonna take forever," he said instead before doing what he never did; he turned his back to someone. Specifically, he dropped down to one knee so Carlos could get on his back. Looking over his shoulder, Jay nodded. "Let's go."

"What are you doing?" Carlos sounded alarmed, and he fidgeted, looking everywhere but at Jay.

"You already wasted enough of my time, so this'll be faster." He patted his back for emphasis. "Besides, it'll hardly be a challenge for me." Jay sent a smirk over his shoulder. It got the desired effect: Carlos rolled his eyes. 

But he did get on Jay's back, however tentative the action.

Grinning, Jay stood up abruptly, talking over Carlos' yelp. "All right, let's get this party started!"

He jogged toward the de Vil place, arms securing Carlos' legs but careful not to put too much pressure on them. He'd been right; it wasn't a challenge at all to haul Carlos' weight. It shouldn't have been that easy, though, even if Carlos was two years younger than him. 

When they arrived, Carlos just muttered to go in, so Jay obliged, pushing past the old wooden doors. He stopped to case the place, wondering if he could pocket anything else, and Carlos tapped his shoulder, trying to get down.

"Carlos!" came a shrill shriek, causing Carlos to flinch and stumble to the floor, wincing. At the pain or his mother's anger, Jay didn't know.

Cruella de Vil came to meet them, and she sneered at Carlos as he tried to scramble to his feet. "What on Earth are you doing, boy?" She looked more closely at him and gasped, hand to her chest in appall.

Jay braced himself because he saw Carlos brace himself.

"Look at you! How wretched! Get up off the floor and clean yourself up! Stop making a mess of everything." Her gaze turned to Jay. "Your father sold me a faulty coffee pot, boy." She turned around, apparently deciding the matter closed, and waved a hand over her shoulder, shouting as she left the room. "You've got a lot of work to do, Carlos! No time for playing or you'll be sleeping elsewhere!"

Jay stood there, awkward and uneasy again, and glanced at Carlos, still on the floor with an expression on his face that Jay couldn't quite place. Not as strong as betrayed, just shy of defeated. Jay didn't want to think about it.

He cleared his throat, watched as Carlos snapped out of his thoughts, and gave Carlos his best _not a care in the world and I certainly didn't notice that awkward moment_ grin. "So, about that replacement towel," he prompted.

"Oh, right," Carlos said, caught off guard. He hoisted himself up through a grimace, then he limped over to a closet, hesitating only a few seconds before opening the door. Sending the briefest of glances to Jay, Carlos dug through its contents before pulling out something... with fur.

"Hey now," Jay said before he could stop himself. They both paused, Carlos staring at Jay while holding the furs and Jay staring at Carlos while he tried to think of something witty to say.

Carlos cleared his throat, his face turning a lighter shade of his usual red. "I, uh, don't want to waste more of your time by trying to get to her bathroom in one piece..." he muttered, offering the furs as he looked at the floor.

Jay took them dumbly, examining the fine quality and realizing that the furs were actually a hat and scarf. "It's not exactly a steal if they're freely given," Jay commented lightly, still unsure if he should take them — even though his old man would be ecstatic.

Carlos shrugged. "Yeah, well..." He let his words trail, clearly not having an explanation, or unwilling to reveal one if he did.

So Jay shrugged and put on his _life's easy_ grin. "Guess that means I gotta steal more from you to make up for it." He punched Carlos in the arm — lightly, because even if he acted like it, Jay wasn't that insensitive. "Be seeing more of you, Carlos."

Jay felt Carlos' eyes on him as he left, burning his back and making something tighten in his chest.

—

If Jay hung around Carlos at school more than usual, Carlos didn't bring it up. For which Jay was ever-thankful. Even though Carlos never mentioned it, Jay still spoke about settling the score, always making a play like he was going to steal whatever Carlos had in his hands only to deliver semi-gentle nudges to Carlos' shoulder or pats to his back. Perhaps even a ruffle to Carlos' hair.

For a long while, Jay noticed how confused Carlos became at his casual touches, but not long after, Jay saw Carlos no longer flinching automatically whenever Jay reached for him. Soon enough, Jay was able to hook his arm around Carlos' shoulders, his neck even, without Carlos reacting too badly.

Given the scars Jay had seen peppered on Carlos' skin and how he remembered Cruella's words, Jay was surprised it took only a few months for Carlos to grow accustomed to Jay's presence. They became something between acquaintances and friends, but neither boy dared to bring it up.

The other kids noticed.

Jay always stole _something_ valuable looking from Carlos, just to show anyone who asked why he was hanging around the runt of the litter so much, and Jay'd spout some nonsense about how Carlos was always good for an extra steal.

(Of course, he'd never told anyone that he'd always return what he'd stolen.)

But Jay knew the power of his words, of his actions, so when he noticed others eying Carlos as a potential score, an easy mark, Jay stood up straight, gave them his best predatory smirk, daring them to cross into what he'd made known as his territory.

It helped that he'd begun to gain a reputation in the streets; it was bound to happen, what with him winning all the petty challenges and fist fights that everyone issued him. Being known as the island's most skilled thief led to a lot of enemies, which in turn led to Jay mastering how to win a fight.

(He still told himself that the fear that someone else would try what that first man tried had nothing to do with it.)

So others left Carlos alone, for the most part. There were still some incidents outside of school, when Jay couldn't be around Carlos all the time. He never heard Carlos complain, always saw him brush off explanations of where new cuts and fresh bruises came from, and Jay tried not to let it bother him too much.

—

A few months later, just shy of Carlos' twelfth birthday, Jay found out he couldn't ignore how bothered he felt anymore.

On one of his late evening stealings, Jay came across yet another sight involving Carlos that he did _not_ want to see.

At first, he just thought some dudes were having a go in one of the alleyways. It happened often. Not a lot to do on the island, after all, so some people liked to get their energy out through different means; sex just happened to be one of the more favorite options. So when Jay first heard the slap of skin on skin and the muffled moans, he figured some people were just scratching an itch.

It was only when he crept up behind the couple — sex was the perfect distraction to aid him in swiping some scores — and heard what was being moaned out that Jay realized how wrong he'd been.

Some man, bigger in the shoulder and stomach than Jay, had someone else against the wall, pants down and trusting and spitting out _such a good boy_ with distaste, and all that the man got in response was soft grunts from the person trapped between the wall and the brute, someone a lot smaller, someone with white hair and black roots.

Jay acted before he could process it, belatedly realizing his elbow crashed into the thug's face, blood from the cut in the cheek getting on Jay's arm. He was out like a light, and Carlos, bruised and shaking, was left slumped against the wall, his outfit torn and dirty.

In a daze, Carlos glanced over his shoulder, blinking at Jay, and that glazed over expression paralyzed Jay. He could only stare back.

Carlos blinked, and the spell was broken. Color bloomed on his face, and he turned his face away from Jay, shaking even more.

Helplessly, Jay took a step forward, unsure what to do but wanting to do _something_. He had no towel this time, had nothing that could really help clean up and cover Carlos, so he did the next thing he could think of: he gently took hold of Carlos' pants, ignoring the severe flinch it caused, and lightly tugged them back up.

Something like a whimper escaped Carlos, and he hurriedly covered his mouth, eyes shut tight, and Jay let him.

Jay let him have his moment, let Carlos have some time to think and to process, because Jay didn't know what to do. He'd never wanted to _murder_ before, and he had to force himself to keep his attention on Carlos. Because if he looked down, he'd see that man, and Jay wouldn't be able to stop himself.

A quiet whisper of "Why you?" brought Jay out of his musings, and he frowned. Carlos' eyes were open again, focused right on Jay, but they were dim, almost unseeing. He still hadn't turned to fully face Jay.

Jay didn't know how to answer the question.

"Let's get you home," he said instead, figuring that Carlos would he happy to get to his own bed, shower, kitchen, somewhere other than right here, right now.

Carlos didn't look happy. He didn't look like he felt anything, in fact, as he finally turned around, still slumping against the wall. There was a cut on his lips. Slowly, his gaze settled on the man on the ground, and it stayed there.

"Don't look," Jay said, jaw tight. If Carlos looked at him, then Jay would have to, and he just got his temper under control.

At his words, Carlos' eyes snapped back on Jay, and for the first time that evening, they were alight, so much so that Jay felt burned. "Don't tell me what to do," Carlos said, as close to a snarl as Jay had ever heard from him. "Why do you even care?"

"Because if you look at him, I'll look at him, and then I'll kill him," Jay said, angry at himself for being honest, but he couldn't _not_ be, not when Carlos looked at him like that.

Carlos blinked at him, his eyes searching Jay's face, but he didn't say anything.

The silence was stifling, and Jay couldn't take it anymore. "Let me take you home," he said, speaking quietly, gently, hoping that Carlos accepted his offer. If he didn't see Carlos home with his own two eyes, Jay wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

"Okay," Carlos said, voice a little shaky and expression unsure, but he nodded.

Jay smiled, relief crashing over him, and Carlos looked away, face a little pink.

"Want another piggyback ride?" Jay asked before he could think better of it; the last thing he wanted Carlos to think was that he was pitying him.

But Carlos only shook his head, eyes downcast, his cheeks turning redder. He didn't look too upset, though. He looked, well, touched, in fact.

"You sure? It'll be no problem." Jay grinned, an actual genuine grin because he didn't think Carlos could be that cute.

This time, Carlos shook his head a little harder. "My, uh, lower half is kinda sore..." he muttered, fidgeting as he looked everywhere but at Jay.

The reminder of why they were in the alley made Jay scowl, and he dared to glance down. Sure enough, seeing that man only made his blood boil, something like white hot rage bubbling to the surface.

Carlos accidentally kicked a pebble in his fidgeting, and the noise made Jay breathe in deep, trying to rein in his anger. He reminded himself he needed to get Carlos home, get him away from this man and this alley — and in a small, faraway place in Jay's mind, he wanted to get Carlos off this island as well.

Delivering a swift, brutal kick to the man's junk — he had do _something_ to ease the anger within himself — Jay turned to Carlos with a smirk. "Well, his lower half will be sore, too." Nodding to himself, Jay gestured for Carlos to walk out the alley first, hoping to get another kick in before he followed.

Carlos, though, didn't move, brow creased as he regarded Jay.

Something about the way Carlos looked at him unnerved Jay; he felt like Carlos could see inside him, through him, and Jay suddenly felt self-conscious over all his thoughts toward the younger boy.

Maybe he wasn't thinking about Carlos' best interests. Maybe he did have some evil ulterior motive. Maybe he was a villain through and through.

"Thank you."

Jay blinked, the words chasing away the intrusive thoughts, and he stared at Carlos, noticing how he still fidgeted but kept Jay's gaze. Which meant that Jay hadn't imagined Carlos saying that in such a sincere tone. Expressing sincere gratitude on the island was pretty much unheard of.

But Jay couldn't ignore the sentiment, not coming from Carlos. "You're welcome."

Another silence settled over them, more awkward than the first, and the only thing that broke it was a groan from the ground as the man started stirring. Carlos' eyes widened, so Jay gently pushed him out of the alley; when he was sure Carlos was a safe distance away, Jay turned to the man, delivering one kick across his face and another one to his junk. _Cracks_ were heard. 

The man went down, knocked out again, and Jay pulled all his strength into walking away.

Finding Carlos waiting for him made walking away worth it.

"Let's get out of here." Jay nodded in the direction of Hell Hall, and he almost draped his arm over Carlos' shoulder before he caught himself. He figured Carlos wouldn't want to be touched so casually right now.

They walked in silence, just under an arm's length apart from each other, and Jay couldn't help but steal glances at Carlos, trying to see if he was injured and hiding it. He didn't _see_ anything that could be serious, but Jay bet someone like Carlos, someone used to getting roughed up, would be able to fake being fit as a fiddle.

If he was injured, Carlos didn't give anything away. He just kept his head down as they walked, apparently trusting Jay to be his eyes. It was just another gesture that made Jay uneasy — uneasy in a different way than the guys on the streets and alleyways did.

They entered the gates of the de Vil Manor property, and muffled shouts from within Hell Hall greeted them. Carlos swallowed audibly, his steps faltering, and Jay found himself glaring at the house because he knew that the shouting was Cruella inside. As they continued walking, he placed a hand on Carlos' shoulder in a gesture of support, but Carlos jumped.

"Here's good," Carlos said when they approached the steps, reaching out to grab Jay's arm but stopping before any contact was made. He paled slightly.

Jay raised a concerned eyebrow. "You sure? I don't mind going in with you." He remembered Cruella, knew how she was when she came into his dad's shop. Being something like emotional support wouldn't ruffle him in the least, especially since Carlos looked on the verge of a panic attack.

"No, no, it's fine," Carlos mumbled, walking a little too quickly to the door, pushing it open.

"See you at school then. And, Carlos," Jay called before Carlos could retreat into the house. He didn't continue until Carlos was looking at him, half in the door. "Get some rest." He smiled, hoping that he was doing the whole reassuring thing correctly.

Carlos stared at him, mouth open slightly and eyes faraway. He blinked back to reality, though, when Cruella called for him. Paling again, Carlos gave the smallest of waves to Jay before the door shut.

Jay stayed long enough to hear Cruella scream at how Carlos was behind in his chores, at how he had ruined his outfit; Jay stayed long enough to hear distinct _smacks_ resonate within the halls of the de Vil place.

It would always bother him, Jay decided, whenever anyone laid a hand on Carlos.

—

It'd been a week since Jay rescued Carlos in that alley, and Jay's noticed a difference in Carlos' behavior.

He doubted anyone else noticed it. Carlos never really spoke to anyone, didn't get involved with others unless it was required for class, and kept to himself mostly. Jay was the only one who actually hung around him, and if anything, that made others even less likely to approach Carlos.

But there was a definite difference in how Carlos carried himself nowadays. Namely, he tensed whenever Jay got too close. 

At first, Jay thought it was simply because of what happened. He reasoned that after having it happen twice — and really, Jay thought with sickening realization, who's to say it only happened twice? — anyone wouldn't be willing to be too chummy with others, even more-than-acquaintances-but-not-really-friends. 

Jay let him be, kept himself in check when hanging around Carlos, always careful to approach with slowness and easy to read movements. It worked, for the most part. 

It wasn't until Carlos, who'd been chuckling at something Jay had said, blinked and backed away from Jay's hand, averting his eyes, shame tainting his face, that Jay decided he couldn't take it anymore.

So after making sure no one was paying too close attention to them, Jay pulled Carlos into an empty classroom, trying to ignore the small yelp his action gained. "Carlos, what's going on?" he asked, giving Carlos some space but making sure the exit was blocked. He'd found that he had a mean impatient streak when it came to Carlos, and that only made him frown.

"I don't know what you mean," Carlos said, swallowing. 

"C'mon," Jay said, rolling his eyes. "That big brain of yours isn't that slow." 

"It's nothing," Carlos insisted, and Jay counted it as progress that Carlos gave up trying to deny it. 

Jay clenched his jaw, trying to decide how he could get Carlos to answer. His usual techniques weren't really suited for this situation. Flirting to get what he wanted worked wonders, but this was Carlos; Jay wouldn't treat Carlos like a mark, not ever again.

He cleared his throat. "So, this a you not trusting me thing, right?" That made sense to Jay. Trust on the island was hard to come by.

"No!" Carlos said, a little too quickly. "It's nothing to do with trust. It's just... me..."

Jay's brow creased. "There's nothing wrong with you."

Carlos actually snorted, but it was borderline hysterical. "You don't know anything."

"Because you won't tell me anything," Jay countered, frustrated.

Carlos flinched, and Jay instantly regretted his words.

"I—"

Jay shook his head. "No, it's okay. I shouldn't have pushed," he said, and he turned on his heel, trying to get out the room so he wouldn't put Carlos on edge anymore.

"Jay!"

Jay paused, the tone of Carlos' voice sending a chill down his spine, the desperation transparent. Turning back around, he looked at Carlos, trying to be open in his stance and in his expression.

Carlos took a breath. "Do, do you promise not to tell _anyone_?" he asked, pale and serious, even breaking a small sweat.

"Of course I do," Jay said, solemn; he could give Carlos that much.

"I... I liked it," Carlos whispered, face pained, ashamed. He was close to tears.

Jay kept his features blank. "Liked what?" he asked, just to make sure he wasn't jumping to conclusions. Because Carlos couldn't mean what Jay thought he meant, right?

"Not, not when they attacked me or, or when they—" Carlos huffed in a breath of air, speaking too quickly, eyes wide, and he started to sweat more. "It isn't like I _wanted_ that to happen!"

"I believe you; it's okay," Jay said, adamant because it was true. He remembered the look on Carlos' face afterwards, for both times.

Swallowing down another gulp of breath, Carlos closed his eyes. "I just, I liked it when he called me a, a g-good boy." He pressed his eyes even tighter, and his whole body shook with his confession.

Now that he knew Carlos couldn't see him, Jay let his surprise show on his face, let his confusion run wild. He had no idea how to process this new information, wasn't sure how to understand it.

But Jay knew one thing.

Carlos trusted him enough to confess it, and that made something stir within Jay, something he wasn't sure he should let free. Because when he looked at Carlos now, body shaking and face scrunched up, saw how nervous he was for Jay's reaction, Jay felt that something stir and growl and feel... possessive.

It almost frightened him.

"Carlos," Jay called, voice toneless, strange to his own ears. "Carlos, open your eyes."

Hesitantly, Carlos did as he was told, eyes downcast and nervous all the while.

"Look at me."

And Carlos did, adam's apple bobbing with his gulp and tongue flicking out to wet his bottom lip.

Jay nodded. "Good boy," he said, the words coming out almost like a purr on their own accord.

Carlos _shivered_.

And that something within Jay roared, and all he wanted to do was give that to Carlos, make him shiver like that again, make him feel every ounce of pleasure that was robbed from him.

"Listen," Jay said, clearing his head before he started anything they'd both regret, "if that's what you want, hey, I'd be happy to give it to you. But if you don't want it, you better say something."

"Jay, you... you don't think I'm... perverse?" Carlos asked as he stared at Jay, disbelief clear on his face.

"Of course not," Jay answered, giving him a small smile as he took hold of Carlos' hand. "All you gotta do is ask." He had no idea what Carlos could get out of being called a good boy, especially since anything good was sneered at on the island, but seeing the way Carlos' eye lit up as he stared down at his hand in Jay's only made Jay want to give the kid anything he wanted.

Besides, if wanting to be called a good boy was perverse, well, it fit in well with the status quo on the Isle of the Lost; being perverse was congratulated here. Sound logic, Jay thought.

"You, uh, you won't have to do much, I promise," Carlos stammered out, still glancing at his hand in Jay's. 

"It'll be fine, don't worry," Jay replied, and he found himself eager to find out how he could help Carlos, how he could be what Carlos needed. 

—

And that's how Jay spent the majority of his fourteenth year: finding reasons to call Carlos a good boy. 

He didn't want to use the term lightly, partly because it still felt weird on his tongue and partly because Carlos didn't seem to want the term all the time. 

Jay didn't mind it, actually; it gave him something to focus on, finding out the perfect circumstances to give Carlos what he wanted. It also gave him time to work on a few other things with Carlos, like teaching the kid how to avoid any kicks or punches thrown his way. 

To his surprise, Jay found Carlos a natural on his feet, able to move in ways felines would be jealous of, so Jay trained Carlos on how to utilize his innate talents. 

Carlos took to it like a fish in water. 

It was during one of their sparring lessons, when Jay saw Carlos smile, practically beam, when he'd gotten out of Jay's hold and away from another threat of attack that Jay finally understood Carlos' desire. Because Jay felt the desire to praise, to affirm, to _dote_. 

Smiling, Jay draped his arm over Carlos' shoulders, pulling him close and ruffling his hair, delighting in the way Carlos laughed. Then Jay said, "Good boy," and Carlos stopped laughing, swallowing audibly, color blooming on his face as his eyelids became heavy. He nearly whimpered. 

Holy shit, Jay thought, his own throat going dry at the sight, and he wanted to use the term correctly even more, wanted to see Carlos get like this always. 

Then Carlos blinked up at him, and Jay grinned, his fingers playing with Carlos' hair, massaging his scalp, and Carlos smiled, shy and small but no less genuine. 

So from that first genuine experience came more, and Jay got good at finding those perfect moments to call Carlos good, to praise him, to affirm him, to dote. And Carlos practically reveled in it. 

They worked out the particulars, and Carlos grew out of his shell a little, became more relaxed in the hallways of school, more confident in the streets. The only issue Jay still saw was Cruella, but that was mostly unavoidable. 

Still, Jay felt a swell of pride whenever Carlos managed to duck out of the way of some two-bit minion's fist, and after Jay intervened and got Carlos out of there, Jay'd take Carlos aside and tell him how much of a good boy he was. 

And Carlos would melt. 

And that was enough for Jay. 

Things were going great. 

Until someone overheard their exchange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic title is taken from the song Easy as Life from Aida, and chapter title taken from Past is Another Land also from Aida (I get all my titles from song lyrics). As of right now, the pairings listed are the only ones I've planned on writing, but who knows. Sometimes the story takes a mind of its own. More tags will be added as more chapters are uploaded.


	2. Never cared for stories until you entered mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal's issues make her unable to clearly see the issues of others. That is, until they're shoved right in her face. But that doesn't mean she understands them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to say in the first chapter: this whole story was inspired by Carlos' lyrics in Rotten to the Core, which I felt weren't in the same vein as the others. His lyrics of _they think I'm callous, a low-life hood, I feel so useless, misunderstood_ with the expressions he uses show that he doesn't see himself as others see him, and while Mal, Jay, and Evie sing about their own individual reputations, they do so with a grin, with pride, despite having joined in on _misunderstood_. His second set of lyrics, _The past is past. Forgive, forget,_ are even more out of sync with the others, despite his grin, in that they seemingly have nothing to do with Carlos as a person, whereas Mal, Jay, and Evie are once again addressing what others say about them, again with smirks and pride and snark. And though he begins the lyric _The truth is..._ everyone else joins in during _you ain't seen nothing yet!_ which, to me, gives the impression that Carlos was going to say something else or that the others joined in so Carlos wouldn't have to say what he was going to say. Which is where this little plot bunny came from. The rest was me finding scenes/actions/dialogue from the movie to support said plot bunny, and my, how the movie supplies my brain. (And while I've just recently read the book, I'll only be taking certain elements from it, so the past and relationships of the four descendants pre-movie are different in this fic than in the book.)
> 
> Anyway, all that was just a long-winded way of saying that this story is essentially about Carlos and how his story shaped the other three descendants, and even some of the kids in Auradon. 
> 
> Once again, this is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are my own!

Mal had a reputation, half because of who her mother was, half because Mal fought to be more than her mother. Despite being small framed, Mal could part a crowd in school, could send a chill down a spine with one smirk, and her eyes, her eyes could unsettle and paralyze and terrify.

All stayed clear of her path, except two: her mother, who didn't care enough about the one called daughter to hold an opinion of the so-called terror Mal inflicted, and a certain son of a certain former royal vizier.

She didn't do friends. She'd already been taught of the weaknesses of any type of relationship by her mother, who sneered at any possibility of her making friends, of making bonds of any kind, and Mal never wanted to disappoint Maleficent, despite the fact that just being alive seemed to do the trick.

But Mal knew enough not to form any type of attachment with another living soul, and she knew it at an early age.

So Jay wasn't her friend.

They hadn't officially met (if you were the spawn of the top villains, you knew _of_ each other) until Mal was eight; she caught him trying to steal a chipped vase she'd had stolen earlier that day.

(Jay might have gotten away with it, had she not been training herself in hypervigilance ever since that man had touched her.)

He'd laughed it off, claiming how clumsy he was, but Mal wasn't fooled by him, didn't trust him just like she didn't trust anyone. So, out of habit, she showed him her eyes, emerald green and burning, wanting to put him in his place.

And for a moment, that's where he was, beneath her as she recognized that recognition, and it was so familiar now: the boy would cower, would run away like all the rest.

But the moment vanished, and Jay grinned again. He offered her a tarnished silver brooch in exchange for the vase, and he didn't move as she stared at him, uncomprehending.

Why had this one not run away from her? Why did he grin? Why did he offer a trade? Why why why.

Suspicious but intrigued, Mal took the brooch and allowed the boy to take the vase.

It was their first barter, the first time Mal bartered with anyone, and she'd watched as Jay laughed with delight as he stood a little too close, elbowing her slightly.

"Name's Jay. Friends?" he asked, looking pleased with himself.

Mal narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't do friends." She gave him a considering once over; she shrugged. "We could be partners sometimes."

Jay had just smiled, nodding in agreement before giving her a half-hearted salute as he disappeared into the streets, off to steal something else, leaving Mal staring at the space he'd vacated as she clutched the brooch in her hands.

And that started it all, the banter, the play-fights, the competition of who's the better thief.

Jay wasn't her friend, but he wasn't just an acquaintance.

They'd hang around each other more and more, sometimes collaborating on a small heist, most times bartering with the other for whatever score caught their eye. It was weird for her, but it wasn't unwelcome.

She began to notice certain things about Jay, the number one being he was very tactile. She supposed it helped with his talent for stealing, but it perplexed her in the beginning, still did if she were honest, how he'd lean against her or nudge her.

Mal would have shut him down, refused contact and put him back in his place, but she noticed that he never meant anything by it, never got that look in his eyes that some men and women did when they got too close to her before they recognized her. She noticed that Jay made contact with everybody, in some way, but never went anywhere with it, never showed any interest in going further, least of all with her, and the unease within her gradually lessened around him.

So she put up with it with only some grumbling, began to let her guard down around him, bit by tiny bit. It helped that both of their reputations doubled now that they were seen together; people feared Jay's strength and agility as well as Mal's eyes and wrath, and their combined thieving efforts made people skittish. 

Jay wasn't a friend, she'd told herself, but he was a pretty handy partner.

—

School never really thrilled Mal, but it was a welcomed change of scenery to the chill oppressive air of her mother's home. Plus, she could always entertain herself with scaring her peers, especially those of lower status than herself and Jay.

Speaking of, Mal realized that she hardly saw the thief outside of school anymore. She saw him hanging around the de Vil brat in the hallways sometimes, and it always made her roll her eyes. She knew Jay wasn't dumb, but she also knew he could be lazy when it came to schoolwork; she bet Jay was trying to get the runt to do his work for him while Jay stole whatever Carlos had on him.

At least he's efficient, Mal thought with a smirk as she walked to her next class in a lazy stroll, already more than fifteen minutes late.

And speak of the devil and he shall appear: she spotted Jay in the hallway, and she opened her mouth to call to him.

But paused when she noticed how Jay had his arm around Carlos de Vil. She noticed Jay pull Carlos into an empty classroom, and Mal raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like Jay to be so overt when stealing. Carlos must have pissed him off somehow, Mal thought, mildly impressed; Jay was a hard person to really rile up, and it was even harder to get him to show it.

So she crept to the room, curiosity piqued, figuring it'd be entertaining at least to see what Jay stole and perhaps hoping to learn the reason for the out-of-character way he stole it.

She wasn't prepared to find the pair leaning against a wall, Jay speaking into Carlos' ear, grinning at how the kid's cheeks bloomed with color, eyelids heavy. If it weren't for the fact that the boys were fully clothed, Mal would say that Jay was helping Carlos get off.

Jay chuckled when Carlos shook his head at something, and Jay turned Carlos by the chin so they were looking into each other's eyes and basically purred out, "No, you're such a good boy." Jay's grin widened as Carlos shivered, and Mal had never seen Jay look so soft, had never seen him with that _look_ in his eyes, had never seen him give this sort of attention to anyone.

"What the hell," she said before she could help it, and she watched as the boys jumped apart in surprise.

"Mal..." Carlos whispered, eyes wide with terror.

Before Mal could tell him she didn't remember giving him permission to say her name, Jay moved in front of Carlos, face impassive but body braced for a fight.

She'd never been on the other side of a serious Jay before, especially a fight-ready Jay, but Mal wouldn't let that deter her. "Jay," she said, challenging.

"Lay off, Mal," Jay said, his usual humor nowhere to be found. As if reading her mind, he added, "There's nothing wrong with having an arrangement."

While that was true, Mal couldn't believe he'd chosen the de Vil boy. "He's eleven, Jay," she said, deadpan. How did that get any fun? Especially after what happened to them.

"Twelve," Jay corrected, equally deadpan.

"Like it makes a difference," Mal said with a roll of her eyes. "Now I know why you won't bat an eyelash at the attention you get from the girls in our grade." She raised an eyebrow, glancing at how Carlos cowered behind Jay. 

"He's in our grade," Jay said, as if commenting on the weather. "And we're not doing anything sexual."

"Because he can't get it up yet?" Mal guessed, smirking. "And you could've fooled me, what with that lame face he was making."

Mal noticed Carlos flinch, and she guessed by the way Jay's face hardened that he felt the action.

"Is there a reason you're here, other than being a pain in the ass?"

Carlos gasped as Mal narrowed her eyes.

"What did—"

"It's my fault," Carlos cut in, peeking out from behind Jay, moving to stand in front of him despite Jay's protests. "I'll leave him alone, okay, I won't bother either of you anymore." He began walking to the door, but Jay's hand on his arm stopped him. A feeble struggle ensued.

Mal snorted. "Like I care what you do, _good boy_ ," she spat out, mocking, face scrunching up with her distaste of the term.

The change in atmosphere was palpable, and Mal refused to show her shock.

Carlos had stopped struggling in Jay's grip and deflated, body becoming limp as the light went out of his eyes and the color drained from his face; a corpse looked more alive in comparison.

Jay muttered a curse, framing Carlos' face in his hands and moving so he was the only thing in Carlos' view. He spoke softly, so softly that no amount of straining Mal did let her hear the words, and Mal could see his thumbs smoothing circles into Carlos' cheeks.

She could only stare in shock at the scene before her. "Jay," Mal said after finding her voice, "what the hell are you even doing?" She couldn't believe it. She'd never seen Jay so serious, so openly concerned over someone, let alone a little runt.

"Lay off, Mal," Jay said again, attention still focused entirely on Carlos. "You're not the boss of me."

This was the boy who'd always smiled and laughed things off, even her own anger, the boy who'd do what she'd ordered without much complaint, yet now he chose to defy her? Over some worthless runt?

She blinked at him. "You going to war with me?" she asked, voice turning icy as she narrowed her eyes at his back.

"If that's what you wanna call it." Jay didn't even have the decency, the respect, to face her, to tell her to her face that all their scheming and bartering and bantering meant absolutely nothing. "It's not like we're friends, Mal," he added, tone matter-of-fact.

Clenching her jaw, Mal refused to show how much those words stung, even if Jay couldn't see her. Of course she had no friends; she _needed_ no friends. Why should the truth sting? "You're going to regret this," she still said, lacing her voice with menace.

Jay didn't respond, just kept murmuring to Carlos, and Mal scowled. She stalked out of the classroom, thoughts running wild with all the things she could do to get Jay back.

—

She hadn't spoken to Jay in three days, and Mal still fumed.

Jay hadn't even acted like anything was amiss, just kept grinning that dumb grin of his as he swiped whatever he could steal. They'd walk past each other, sat in the same class, and Jay barely acknowledged her.

She told herself she wasn't hurt, told herself that she didn't get hurt, told herself that she certainly did not get _jealous_ of the fact that Jay could have someone else he was not-friends with. She told herself that she didn't care that Jay finally showed some type of interest in going further with the contact he made.

What she did tell herself was that she couldn't stand the puppy runt that was the de Vil brat.

The only thing that mollified her a little was the fact that Carlos was nowhere to be seen, except in the classes they took together, and that was only tolerable because he cowered, refused to even glance in her direction out of fear.

Still, Carlos had played a part in Jay's betrayal, so Mal vowed to make him pay just as much as, if not more than, Jay did.

And the opportunity arose when they were paired together for a report in their Horrible Histories class. Carlos looked about ready to crap himself, and Mal smiled her wicked smile.

"Hey, Carlos," Mal greeted sweetly, and Carlos swallowed. "What time should I come over to your place to work on this paper?"

Blinking owlishly, Carlos stammered out, "Um, to-tomorrow? Around five? But you don't have to come if you don't want to! I can do the report myself." He spoke in a rush, staring at her with wide, terrified eyes.

Tilting her head, Mal pursed her lips. "Isn't that too much trouble for you?"

"Not at all!"

Shrugging, she nodded. "If you say so." And with that, she sat back at her desk, trying not to smirk at how Carlos deflated as she left.

Mal made a mental note to show up at the de Vil place at five. If Carlos didn't want her at his house, then she was going. She would go and get all the information she could get on Carlos, search out his secrets, his weaknesses. 

Because she knew, knew in the blackest parts of her heart, that Carlos did something to turn Jay against her, and for that, he needed to pay.

—

The de Vil place stood tall for a decrepit building, though nowhere near as tall as her mother's tower. Mal sneered. She had better things to do than show up at a crazy dog lady's house to deal with her puppy runt son.

But she walked toward the door anyway; she was on a mission: she was going to find out what the kid did to Jay. She wasn't a fool; she saw how the kid tinkered with machinery, knew what kind of grades the brat got.

What if he actually pulled off building a mind control device somehow? Mal needed to know, needed to know so she could steal it and get Jay back on her side. Then she'd use it to turn Carlos into the puppy runt he was.

With the pleasantly wicked thought bouncing in her head, Mal knocked on the door. After a few long seconds, it opened.

"Sup," Mal greeted, smiling wickedly when Carlos paled.

"I, I didn't think you'd actually come," he muttered, fidgeting, but he opened the door for her.

Shrugging, Mal stepped inside. "What can I say, I like to oversee my minions. Make sure they're working properly, you know." She sent him another smirk.

Carlos swallowed, and for a second, his nose scrunched up in disapproval at her words, but it was gone just as quick as it came. He cleared his throat. "We can work in the kitchen," he mumbled, gesturing for her to follow him.

An hour later, Mal was bored to tears.

"I thought you were some kind of genius," she complained from her spot atop the kitchen counter as she flicked some sort of biscuit things around in their bowl, glaring at the pots and pans hanging above her; they made her think of Jay, of how his father would welcome them as new wares for his shop.

"I'm still only human," he said, a little defensive. "You can go, if you want. I don't like getting poor grades, so you know you'll have a pretty decent paper."

"Maybe I'm waiting for you to finish," she countered, smiling smoothly; hanging around Jay meant picking up on some things, even if she had no use for them. "You know, so we can _talk_."

Swallowing, Carlos stared at the papers and books sprawled in front of him, resolutely not even glancing at Mal as he squirmed in his chair.

That's right, little runt, squirm, she thought, her smile turning into a smirk. Still, despite herself, she found it sort of impressive how he kept writing through his nervousness.

An engine roared onto the grounds, and Carlos paled, chest heaving.

Mal raised an eyebrow at the reaction. "Let me guess. Your mother?"

"She's not supposed to be back this early," he said, frantically packing up the papers and books, sending nervous glances to the doorway, as if she'd teleport right in.

"Big deal. So she's— Hey!" Mal glared at Carlos as he yanked her off the counter. He was pretty strong for a runt.

"She can't know you're here!" Carlos said, pulling her into some pathetic little closet. "She'll be so _furious_." Carlos actually shook at the thought.

Mal scoffed. "Like she can harm me."

"You don't understand," Carlos said, pleading. "Just stay in here until I can sneak you out, _please_."

The way Carlos begged, his whole body into it, put Mal on edge, and she wanted to leave right then and there. "Whatever," she said instead, unease settling in her stomach as she scooted further into the closet.

Carlos smiled, genuine with relief, but it faded when the front doors slammed open. He pushed the papers and books into Mal's hands before closing the closet door, leaving her in the dark as she waited for something to happen.

"Carlos!" Mal heard Cruella boom.

There was a type of squeak, as if Carlos had jumped or something. "Hello, mother. How was your—"

A resonating _smack_ sounded in the halls, and Mal stood straighter, straining to hear, the unease within her growing.

"Don't think I didn't see those smudges on the floor. Stop half-assing your chores, boy."

"Sorry, mother," Carlos whispered, and that got another _smack_.

"And don't mumble!"

Mal listened as the clicking of heels made their way closer before they stopped. An eerie quiet filled the air before metal clanging took its place. Mal furrowed her brow. Had she knocked down the pots and pans?

A sharp _thwack_ rang out, followed by Carlos' pained cry. The _thwacks_ continued.

"You wretched little ingrate! You've been sneaking food again, haven't you?"

Mal froze; had Cruella noticed how she'd moved the biscuit things?

A sharp cry. "Mother, I—"

"I don't want to hear another word! Did you take it for yourself, or for your _men_?" The _thwacks_ got louder, harder, and Cruella shrieked over the noise. "Bad enough you come home with your wardrobe torn and bloody from your little back alley dealings, but now you're taking my food for the brutes!?"

Carlos sobbed.

It seemed to go on forever, and Mal thought she was going to rip the papers, the books, in half with how hard she gripped them. It hurt to _listen_. Maleficent might always be disappointed in Mal, but she had never laid a hand, let alone _kitchenware_ , on Mal.

She blinked. The noise had stopped, and she strained to hear anything else.

"The least you could do is get paid for your trysts." Cruella sounded tired, worn out, and that only made the hair on the back of Mal's neck stand straighter. "Now get up and finish your chores, or it's no food for a week."

Heels clacked away, but Mal stood frozen to her spot, unable to bring herself to move.

Steadying herself, Mal opened the closet door, making sure the coast was clear before stepping out, careful not to make a sound.

She wasn't ready for what she'd find.

Carlos was on the floor, body covered in welts and bruises, small cuts peppering here and there. His face, though, remained largely unscathed, most likely thanks to his arms, which had taken the brunt of the blows in the attempt to protect himself, but he could barely keep his eyes open.

"Carlos?" Mal whispered, surprised that her voice worked at all. She moved closer, placing the books and papers on the counter so she didn't drop them.

Blinking, Carlos glanced at her, head lulling slightly. "Mal," he slurred, and he trembled as he tried to get up. "I'll, I'll finish the report in the morning. Don't worry."

He's insane, Mal thought, staring at him in horror. "Don't be stupid," she said, wincing slightly at how biting it sounded.

Either Carlos didn't care or he hadn't heard because he continued his attempt at getting upright, despite every grimace he made with each movement.

Panic rising at how fresh blood began appearing around Carlos' cuts, Mal knelt down and gently framed his face in her hands, and she was so relieved when he stilled. "Carlos, listen to me," she said softly, slowly, mindful to keep quiet so that Cruella wouldn't hear her, "what time do you eat dinner?"

Confusion creased his brow, and Carlos shook his head. "I don't usually..."

Then what was all that not eating for a week thing, Mal thought, horrified. Shaking her head, because as wrong as that was, that was not what she needed to focus on. "Okay, fine, what time do you need to finish your chores?"

"She inspects the house in the morning," Carlos mumbled, eyes slipping closed.

"You can't sleep," she hissed, but she was afraid to shake him awake. She had to get him to stay alert somehow, or Cruella—

A gleam around Carlos' neck caught her eye, and after further inspection, Mal discovered a simple silver chain adorned with a small red snake pendant.

_Jay._

Mal quickly unclasped the chain, forcing her hands steady so she didn't break it, and made a mad dash for the door, light on her feet. She ran all the way to Jafar's damned shop, not caring who she bumped into, how undignified she looked, glaring at anybody who gave her a second look.

She banged on the door once there, hoping Jay hadn't left for a thieving yet.

"Get the damn door!" Mal heard Jafar shout.

The door opened, and then Jay was staring at her with a blank face. He raised his eyebrow. "Mal, what—"

"Shut up," she shushed, maybe a little too harshly, but all she could think about was the image of Carlos bleeding out on his kitchen floor.

Jay's expression grew stormy. "I told you you're not the boss of—"

He stopped talking when Mal held up her fist, letting the chain and the snake dangle from her fingers.

They stood there in silence for a few moments, then Jay sprang.

"Where'd you get this?" he nearly snarled as he grabbed her wrist, hard enough to bruise, reflexes lightning quick as always; the snake was a trademark of his family for a reason.

"Where you think?" Mal hissed back, grabbing his hair and pulling, trying to get him to look at her and not the damn pendant. "You have to come with me."

Scowling, Jay tried to wrench the necklace out her hand. "Of all the stupid—"

"He's _bleeding_ , Jay," she whispered fiercely, tugging on his hair again and not letting go of the chain. "Cruella—" She nearly fell back when Jay stopped struggling.

He stood up straight, searching her eyes, her face, anything to detect a lie. His expression grew livid when she showed him none. "That harpy," Jay spat out, and just like that, he was running, Mal straining to keep up.

They snuck back in Hell Hall when they arrived, both their chests heaving, and Mal led Jay to the kitchen, preparing for the worst. Cruella could have found him there, not doing anything, and beaten him again; Carlos could have tried to move only to make a further mess of himself, which would result in another beating.

But nothing had changed since she dashed out. Carlos, breathing sluggish, lay on the floor, curled into himself as best he could, blood drying on his clothes and on the tiles around him.

"Shit," Jay muttered as he dropped down beside Carlos. His hands hovered over Carlos, not touching, as if he was unsure where to touch. "Hey, Carlos, c'mon, wake up."

"Jay?" Carlos murmured, stirring slightly, eyes not quite opened. "Jay..."

Mal tried not to wince. He sounded so pathetic, so scared, so tired.

"I got you," Jay said, soft and firm, and he finally let his hand rest on the top of Carlos' head. "You need to tell me how to fix this."

"Can't," Carlos murmured, letting out a ragged breath.

"Yes, you can." Jay glanced at Mal, narrowing his eyes at her even as the softness in his voice never wavered. "You're a good boy, you can do it."

A shuddering sob escaped Carlos' lips, and his face scrunched up in pain. "No, I'm not..." he whispered.

Given how murderous he looked, Mal hoped she wouldn't have to restrain Jay from going after Cruella. Not that she could really blame him.

"Jay," she said, just to snap him out of it.

Taking a deep breath, Jay focused on Carlos, smoothing his hair down, almost like he was petting him. "You're my good boy, Carlos. No one else matters." He glanced at Mal again, but she kept her face neutral.

She wouldn't bring up the topic now; she could be decent for once.

"I need to finish my chores," Carlos said, voice soft and shaking.

"Okay," Jay said, cutting Mal a look when she opened her mouth to protest, "what do you have to do?"

"List under coffee pot," Carlos mumbled. He made no effort to get up, though; in fact, he looked like he was trying to press into Jay's hand.

Uncomfortable with watching the gesture, Mal ventured over to the counter, finding the coffee pot and the list. It was two pages long, filled with Cruella's small, messy scrawl. Disgusted, Mal brought it back to where Jay sat.

"What you wanna do first?" she asked as she knelt down, not looking at him. Because she didn't think she could bear his gaze; she was, after all, offering to _help_ someone other than herself.

Silence answered her.

Chancing a peek, Mal looked up, but she saw nothing different: Jay sat beside Carlos, hand on his head. Mal didn't know if he heard or not, but she wasn't keen on repeating the question.

After a quiet sigh, though, Jay stood up, frowning at the bloody tiles around Carlos before he moved to the cabinets. He started searching them, pulling out cans here and bottles there, little baggies and some boxes, bringing them all over to Carlos.

"What are you doing?" she asked when he started opening lids.

Not looking up from his collection, Jay shrugged. "Didn't always win the fights unscratched, so I had to learn how to patch myself up." He glanced at her briefly. "Had to learn how to get rid of blood, too, so dad wouldn't be too pissed about the condition of his wares."

Mal watched in morbid fascination as Jay applied certain substances in certain orders to Carlos' cuts, his clothes, the tiles, all the while murmuring somethings into Carlos' ear to keep the kid from whining too much at the sting.

Little by little, the blood disappeared.

Once he was satisfied with his work, Jay stood up again, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. He glanced at Mal before putting back what he'd taken, taking care to put them back in the right spot.

(Memory was a learned skill on the island, as it helped keep you alive and unharmed longer.)

"Okay," Jay said when he finished, turning to her. "Before I see that list, I'm gonna put him in his bed."

Mal shrugged, gesturing for him to get on with it, and she watched as he effortlessly gathered Carlos into his arms and brought him over to the closet Mal hid in. "Wait," she said, confused.

"He sleeps in the basement cupboard," Jay explained, not looking at her. "Cruella uses the front part for her furs and shit, but the back is his room."

He disappeared in the closet, leaving Mal alone with her thoughts — thoughts she did not want to think about. She had thought Carlos was weak merely because he was weak, but she saw now that it was hard to be strong with a presence like Cruella all around you.

Mal really had no context for that. She hardly saw Maleficent, and when she did, her mother spared little more than a passing glance Mal's way. There were no lists, no rules to follow in her tower other than don't touch her mother's stuff, and Mal certainly never had a panic attack whenever she heard her mother arrive home. Silence and indifference were all Mal had known where it concerned Maleficent, but it wasn't like that for Carlos; for him, it was racket and anger surrounding him. Fear, not from what lurked in the streets but from what lurked in his own house.

Jay stepped back into the kitchen, closing the closet door behind him, and they stared at each other for a few seconds before Jay walked over to her, hand open for the list.

Mal gladly gave it, growing more uncomfortable by the minute.

His eyes traveled the first page, the crease in his brow growing deeper.

"If she wanted him to finish all that, she shouldn't have beat him," Mal said quietly. It didn't make much sense, logically, to beat the person you assigned to do all the housework to incapacity.

As if he could read her mind, Jay snorted. "What villain on this island hasn't lost their mind?"

Mal shrugged, unable to answer. They all sounded like broken records, going on and on about the past and how great it was to be evil, how great they were in their evilness. Mal had memorized her mother's words by now — and she didn't even see her mother that much.

"I'll get to work on the floors," Jay said, bringing her out of her thoughts. He didn't spare her a glance as he made his way out of the kitchen, heading to the one of the many rooms with scratched marble floors.

Brow creasing, Mal stayed where she was, staring at the spot where Carlos had been, at how no trace of blood could be found. She'd never felt so lost, so confused before, and it made her angry. Who allowed Jay and Carlos to cause these feelings within her? The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to go over to Jay and kick him in the gut for turning hers into a jumbled mess.

Temper flared, Mal stalked out the kitchen to find Jay, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but before she could make any progress, she realized she still held the snake pendant necklace in her hand, clutching it so tight that it left an imprint on her palm.

The red snake glared at her, and she felt uncertainty and disbelief all over again. Mal couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Jay had actually given it to Carlos. And he called him a good boy again, she thought, incredulous as she continued her search.

She didn't understand. She didn't understand it one bit.

Why would Jay form such an attachment to Carlos? Attachments were a weakness, meant that you could never be powerful, meant that no matter what you did you were soft, a disappointment, no better than common _humans_. Her mother had made that clear, so Mal couldn't understand why anyone would want to be close to someone, in any capacity.

Unless it's to get something you want, she thought, and that was as good as a truth to her as anything. She and Jay had done that many times, learning how to smile, smirk, _flirt_ to get something you want that couldn't be got by a simple quick hand. Jay had the flirting skill mastered more than she did, probably more than she ever will, but Mal could manipulate, too. The right words paired with the right expression, that she could do, and she did it well, if she did say so.

(If only she could get Maleficent to see, then maybe her mother would be around more, would maybe give a note that she approved of something Mal did. But Mal never was one for wishful thinking.)

But this closeness that Jay had with Carlos... It wasn't a way to manipulate, not to Mal, not to anyone who'd witness how Jay behaved, and it confused Mal, would probably always confuse her.

She found Jay scrubbing away at a spot on the ballroom floor, and he barely glanced at her, his shoulders tensing as she neared. Rolling her eyes, Mal picked up an extra rag and got to work at the opposite side of the room, trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal to do what she was doing and trying to ignore Jay's eyes on her.

Besides, she might be wicked, evil, ruthless, and everything else she called herself, but Carlos was already beaten for no real reason (and she ignored the little voice in her head that said _she_ was the cause), and she wasn't about to let Cruella do it again. Especially since Cruella was an idiot who didn't know how to manage minions correctly if she had to use her own son.

Grunt work was beneath her, though, and, worse yet, dull, which meant it left Mal's mind with nothing to do except to wander and overthink. It left her thinking about _why_ she was there, doing the grunt work, and that only led her back to Carlos.

Carlos freaking de Vil.

Everything was his fault. First he stole Jay's alliance from her, then she came to this stupid house because he needed to pay for his offense, then she saw the beating and Cruella's stupid list because Carlos wouldn't let her leave or stay out in the open, and now she was here, doing grunt work because Cruella couldn't see beyond her nose enough to realize that Carlos was weak and couldn't get up from a beating like that. Everything was Carlos' fault.

Why wasn't he stronger, someone who could fight back, someone who could _run away_ at least, someone who didn't get in the way?

She fumed, doing her best not to fling the rag at a chipped vase so she could watch it shatter. Is there anyone who actually tolerates Carlos, she thought as she barely contained a growl. Besides Jay, she'd never seen anyone — who wasn't beating him up, of course — pay any mind to the kid. 

But wait, she thought, pausing her movements, puzzled. Hadn't Cruella said something about men and dealings earlier? Was Carlos involved in some of the many under-underground trades? The more she thought about it, the more it seemed unlikely. Carlos didn't have what it took to do business with the big leagues, not even with those fighting for their scraps, so she knew that they wouldn't tolerate some kid shaking in his boots.

Mal blinked, staring at her rag, wondering what Cruella had meant then. Glancing at Jay, she wondered if he'd know. After all, he seemed to know a lot of things about Carlos and this place. And since they were nearly done with the floor, she figured why not ask.

"Cruella said something earlier," Mal began as nonchalantly as she could, "something about Carlos."

"She says a lot of things about Carlos," Jay replied, tense, not looking at her.

Narrowing her eyes, Mal figured getting to the point would be a better approach with Jay right now. "What did she mean by back alley dealings with men?"

Jay paused, whole body rigid, and stared at her. "She called it back alley _dealings_?" His tone was acidic.

"What was she talking about?" Mal asked, cautious; she'd never seen Jay so angry, so expressive of that anger, as much as he'd been in the past week than she had in all the years knowing him, and it began to damage her calm.

Frowning, Jay took a deep, steadying breath. "Remember what happened to us when we were little?" he asked, his expression, the gleam in his eyes telling Mal exactly what he wanted her to remember.

Mal shuddered. She remembered that conversation, remembered how the incident spilled out of Jay's mouth after he ate something spiked with bad booze, remembered how she, for some reason unbeknown to her, revealed her own incident. She remembered letting Jay lean on her, both feeling like scared little kids again as they tried to forget the men that loomed, that tried to touch and that were close to taking.

"Yeah," she answered as she blinked out of the memories, the unease that always came with them filling her gut, churning, making her sick.

"Carlos didn't get away. He never got away," Jay said pointedly, angry and frustrated and murderous.

And Mal couldn't breathe, couldn't fathom how she'd feel, because if she understood Jay's words correctly, it happened to Carlos _more than once_. The sickening unease that churned her gut every time she recalled the incident had actually engulfed Carlos more than once, and probably for a longer time, probably ten times worse. And Cruella—

Cruella! She had the nerve to call what happened _dealings_ , as if Carlos sought it out. Mal now understood the terror in Carlos, the shaking and the jumping and the way he kept to himself, understood the reason why he buried himself in schoolwork and those stupid machinery projects, because if he couldn't find peace anywhere on the streets or in his home, then Mal could see Carlos escaping, or trying to escape the best he could.

"I'll wring her neck," Mal vowed darkly, scrubbing a little harder to get her frustrations out. Not that she cared for the kid, but she remembered how her mother had reacted to Mal's own incident, and knowing that Cruella took that reaction ten steps further made Mal's blood boil.

Jay didn't say anything, but Mal felt his eyes on her as he got back to work.

They worked in silence, save for the occasional grunt or two at just how much Carlos was expected to do. Hell Hall might not be what it used to be, but it was still a decently impressive property, if not in looks then in size, and Cruella expected Carlos to keep up with its appearance, as well as Cruella's own. Some of the things Cruella had written were beneath even a _minion's_ work.

Mal felt disgusted.

But they made their way through the list with little difficulty, probably done hours earlier than Carlos could have managed by himself, and Mal was glad when Jay stopped moving, throwing down the rag he was using.

"Well, we took care of most of the list," Jay said with a sigh as he cracked his back. "Don't wanna touch the woman's furs and shit, though. She doesn't like it when it's not done her way." He turned, walking back to the kitchen, to the closet.

"You've been here before?" Mal asked as she followed him, even though she knew the answer.

"Once or twice," he said, glancing back at her. Jay didn't pause his movements, just opened the closet door and stepped right in, leaving it open.

Mal took that as a sign she was welcomed to join him, and she weighed her options as she stared at the books and papers Carlos had been working on, left on the kitchen counter after she reemerged from the closet. With a huff, she decided she could do whatever she liked, so she gathered them up and entered the closet as well.

Furs met her, or parts of fur. The closet seemed to be filled with work-in-progresses and half-assed attempts at making coats or hats or other articles of clothing. Frowning, Mal traveled farther into the cupboard, nearly smacking her head when the ceiling dropped. Hunching over, she continued down a few steps until she reached the basement part of the cupboard.

Jay looked up at the noise, but his shoulders relaxed when he recognized her. "Still here?" he asked, his hand on Carlos' head again as he slept.

Shrugging, Mal sat down at the opposite wall. "Not much to do otherwise." She spread out the books and papers as best she could, trying not to focus on Carlos' pathetic mattress on the floor or the ironing board in the corner of the small room. So she busied herself with reading over what Carlos had written for their report.

(She acknowledged, grudgingly and even a little guiltily, that he'd made a very sizable dent in their work; it wouldn't take much to finish.)

"You didn't have to help out," Jay said at length, voice calm and quiet, as if he didn't want to disturb Carlos.

Mal could have cursed; she did not want to talk about her sudden case of altruism. "Well," she started, frowning at the words on the page, "you didn't have to get close to Carlos."

Jay sat straighter. "We aren't close. It's just an arrang—"

"An arrangement?" Mal cut in, dangling the necklace again. "This doesn't seem like just an arrangement."

Unimpressed, Jay only shrugged. "You knew who it belonged to, right?" Though the usual humor and devil-may-care attitude was missing, Jay was completely unapologetic, face and body relaxed.

Incredulous, Mal stared at the snake pendant. "This was just to mark him as yours?" The mediocre light of the room glinted off the serpent, as if it were mocking her. "So, what, you want to own him? That's your arrangement?" She could see the appeal of having a minion like Carlos, but Jay didn't treat him like a minion.

"No, I don't wanna own him," Jay snapped, a scowl on his face. "It's so people know not to mess with him."

"So this is protection," Mal said, uncertain. She could see the logic behind that, too, a _don't touch my things_ type of deal, but again, Jay didn't treat Carlos like a thing.

Jay let his head fall back against the wall with a soft _thump_ as he groaned softly. "Why is this giving you issues?"

"Because it's so different from our own arrangement," Mal said, annoyed, throwing the necklace back at him, a little disappointed that he caught it without trouble. She glared at him, refusing to show any embarrassment her words caused. She _shouldn't_ care so much what Jay decided on doing, on who he decided to hang around, and yet...

He regarded her curiously. "Of course it is," Jay said slowly, "I don't have to protect you; you can take care of yourself."

Even though his words were true, Mal still felt discontent somehow, and she returned her attention to the report in front of her, ignoring Jay and his inquisitive eyes as she finished writing what Carlos had started.

It wasn't until she was almost done with the report that she realized why the discontented feeling lingered around her: if Jay was going out of his way to protect Carlos, it left Jay open for attack. "Who protects you, mister protector?" she asked as nonchalantly as she could.

Something like a smile settled on Jay's lips, and he shrugged. "You wanna protect me, Mal?"

She snorted. "How can I protect you when you already got yourself this much involved with Carlos," Mal said, hoping it didn't come across as too biting a comment, but it was the truth; the type of arrangement Jay was playing at could be taken as a sign of weakness. "You were beyond protection the moment you chose him over me."

"Is that why you got pissed at me?" Jay asked, brow furrowed. "You thought I betrayed you or something?"

Mal didn't say anything for a few moments, mostly because she was speechless. Of course Jay had betrayed her. How could his actions be interpreted otherwise? "You chose him over me," she repeated quietly. It should be obvious.

"I was protecting him," Jay said with a shake of his head. "I was honoring our arrangement."

Mal frowned. "You have no honor. None of us do." That was made clear at an early age, too. Why was Jay going against everything they'd learned on the island, everything that Maleficent had taught her whenever she decided to be around?

"That's bullshit and you know it," Jay said, staring her down. "We honor whatever agreements we make, right? I mean, I'm not gonna honor everything I say to _any_ body, but you're not just anybody." He made a face, almost like a wince, but after a small sigh, he continued. "I know you don't do friends, but you're as close to one as I'm willing to get." He shrugged, and it would have been just another of his _don't care what you think_ shrugs, but Jay's expression didn't change, stayed that serious fierceness that he rarely showed anyone as he looked at her.

Mal blinked owlishly at Jay, hoping her shock wasn't displayed on her face. She never knew — never thought it possible — that Jay thought of her like that. She regarded him, unsure how to proceed.

("Bonds are a weakness," Maleficent had said, abhorrence in her voice, and she had scowled at Mal as she continued, "and forming them only brings about _more_ weaknesses."

The contempt in Maleficent's eyes, that scowl on her face, told Mal exactly what Maleficent thought of the nameless, faceless human who had sired her, and by extension, Mal herself. That was the only time Mal had cried, and she did it in her bed, under her covers, all alone in her mother's tower.)

But Jay wasn't looking at her anymore. Instead, his attention turned on Carlos as the kid stirred, his eyes opening slowly, and Mal saw how gentle Jay was with his expression and with his hands as Carlos became fully awake.

"Jay...?" Carlos said, voice hoarse from sleep, brow creasing slightly. His eyes closed again when Jay's hand smoothed down his hair.

"I'm here," was all Jay said, eyes never leaving Carlos even though Mal could see his shoulders tense because of how aware he was of her eyes on them.

He must not want to say anything in front of me, she thought, looking between the two with a frown. She didn't see what the big deal was; she knew, and they knew she knew, so why bother hiding it anymore?

Carlos tried to sit up, but Jay's hand on his chest stopped him. "What about Mal?"

"I'm right here, genius," she said, raising an eyebrow when Carlos startled and winced, and she resolutely ignored the way Jay narrowed his eyes at her. "Go back to sleep, kid," she said, as lightly and nonthreatening as she could, when Carlos opened his mouth, no doubt to sputter some fearful nonsense. "You're ruining my concentration."

Fear no longer on his face, Carlos furrowed his brow in confusion. "What...?" His eyes traveled down to where Mal was writing, to the papers and books fanned out before her, and his mouth formed a little o in surprise. "Mal, I said I would do it. You didn't—"

"I am not above hitting an injured kid," she warned, lips pursed. "So shut up and let idiot there put you back to sleep."

Jay snorted. "He isn't a baby, Mal."

"Whatever," she said, getting back to the last paragraph of the report. If Carlos didn't like it, he could rewrite the ending for all she cared.

"How are you even here?" Carlos asked quietly, looking up at Jay with a small frown.

"The snake pendant. Told you it'd protect you." Jay grinned.

Carlos made a face. "Magic isn't real here..."

This time, Mal snorted. "I brought him here. Seriously, go back to sleep, or I'm revoking your genius status."

With wide eyes, Carlos put his head back down, shimmying a little to get comfortable, and Jay placed his hand on Carlos' forehead, thumb moving the smallest fraction. After a few breaths, Carlos was out again, angled toward Jay, who had moved his hand from Carlos' forehead to the top of his head.

Mal watched as Carlos' stomach rose and fell in sleep, watched Jay's fingers play with Carlos' hair every now and then. "I still don't understand it," she said after a few moments, unable to take the silence any longer; she'd already finished the report, so nothing could distract her from the two in front of her.

Jay looked up. "Hm?"

"Why you do what you do," she clarified. She knew the explanation Jay gave, sure, but she still didn't know the _why_ , why Carlos, why now. 

"It's just an arrangement, Mal," Jay all but sighed out, apparently no longer holding the strength to be confrontational.

"I know. I'm just saying I don't really get it." She shrugged, pressing herself harder into the wall. "Wouldn't it be better for him if people just feared him?"

Huffing, Jay shrugged, tired. "He's not exactly someone who inspires fear."

That's the truth, she thought with a huff of her own. Carlos had nowhere near the level of presence that she or Jay possessed. Which gave her an idea... "But we are," Mal said slowly, not really sure why she was entertaining even the thought of offering what she was about to offer. "I'd be willing to enter this arrangement. Under some conditions," she added. No way would she be participating in any of that _good boy_ nonsense.

Her words chased all traces of tiredness away from Jay. "You actually want to be seen hanging around him?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Every great villain needs her minions," Mal said, defensive, trying not to talk herself out of her decision. She made her choice, so she'd stick with it. Besides, this way, she could keep Jay as hers as well.

Jay snorted, running a hand down his face. "Don't think that'll work too good."

"Those lowly pieces of rat droppings," Mal whispered, mock furious and fierce, "to think they could touch something of mine!" For added effect, she let her eyes glow emerald.

Eyebrows raised, Jay made an impressed grunt. "Damn. You sounded like your mom."

"I know..." Mal normally tried not to think of the first time she heard her mother say those words, but, in a way, using them as a way to protect Jay and Carlos was ironic. "And I know you know it's a good idea. It covers your back while you cover his."

Though he looked more intrigued, Jay shrugged. "I'll talk to him about it when he wakes up again," he said, as if debating, but Mal saw his tell, that crinkle to the corner of his eyes, so she predicted they'd both accept when the conversation happened.

"So I take it you're not leaving," Mal said, in a better mood now that she knew Jay would be on her side once more, and though she didn't like to admit it, Carlos would be a boon to have under her belt.

The way Jay's face grew stormy, though, made her mood sour. "We didn't finish the list," Jay said, staring down at Carlos, "so the old hag will probably be furious. I'm gonna stay and help with the furs."

"Fine, but I'm leaving." Mal stood up, taking in the two boys, Carlos close to cuddling up against Jay. She'd never understand it, she decided. "I'm leaving the report here. Let him change what he wants, and let me know when you two accept my offer." She leveled a glare at Jay, doing her best to instill her authority in her words.

Jay, though, grinned, like he always did, like the past few days hadn't happened at all. "Whatever you say, Mal."

With an uneasy feeling in her gut, uneasy in a different way than the guys on the streets and alleyways gave her, Mal managed to roll her eyes and exit the closet, the kitchen, Hell Hall, the de Vil grounds. She made it all the way to her bedroom, under her covers, wondering if she were going mad as she tried to get her feelings under control, as she tried to will away that new, different unease that had settled in her gut.

She didn't know which version of the unease she preferred.

—

School never thrilled Mal, but this time, she was curious to find if she had guessed correctly, curious to see if the boys would accept her offer. Jay wouldn't be the problem, she knew, so it all depended on Carlos; if he were smart, he'd agree to her type of arrangement, and since Carlos was the genius of their grade, Mal was counting on that brain of his to figure out being under Jay's protection while Jay was under _hers_ was the best option Carlos would ever get. 

If people knew Carlos was Mal's, no one, in school or on the streets, would ever touch him again, unless they wanted to suffer Mal's wrath. 

But only time would tell how Carlos decided. 

She didn't make it far into the building before she came across the Gaston twins cornering Carlos, the kid clutching paper to his chest even as he sported a bruised cheek, his eyes wide but feet firmly planted. A quick glance told Mal that Jay was nowhere to be found — that idiot, she thought — so she made her way to them, thinking all the while that she had severely underestimated Carlos; he could barely keep his eyes open, could barely move last night after his beating, but now, when faced with two idiots twice his size, he showed no signs of injury, no signs of weakness of any kind.

No, Carlos was far from the weakling she originally thought him to be, she decided, realizing that having him as hers wouldn't be such a waste after all. 

"C'mon, just let us see the report," one of the twins said as the other laughed, neither one paying any attention to their surroundings, neither one noticing Mal behind them. "You love doing work for us, right?" Their tone was mocking, and they were getting a little too close, crowding Carlos more than necessary. 

"Boys," Mal called, just shy of sweet, and she held back a smirk at how the twins startled at her voice. 

"Mal," they greeted simultaneously as they turned to face her, equal parts wary and annoyed. 

She made a show of letting her eyes take in the sight, noticing how Carlos trembled slightly now that she entered the picture. She also noticed how his shoulders relaxed a fraction as he glanced off to her left, and Mal knew Jay had entered the scene. 

The Gaston twins grunted, visibly annoyed that Mal took her time in getting to whatever she wanted to talk to them about, and Mal smirked. 

"So, I can't help noticing how you're trying to get your hands on my report," she said conversationally. A little crowd had begun to gather, as Mal never spoke to anyone, especially in school, unless it was to deliver a threat, and she couldn't have planned the situation better herself. Giving a quick glance to Carlos, Mal settled her gaze on the twins. "So now I'm wondering, can you two give me any reason _not_ to cut up those stupid mugs of yours?" She smiled sweetly and waited. 

With the crowd murmuring around them, the Gaston twins glanced at each other. "We didn't want the report," one said, an obvious lie, just to save face in front of the crowd. 

"We were just messing with the runt, is all," the other one finished, taking a step back into Carlos' space, probably figuring he'd win Mal's favor by displaying his strength. 

Mal's smile widened, and she reveled in the way the twins tensed; she'd made it known long ago that her smile was never to be taken lightly. "Well, see, that's another problem for you. The de Vil boy is my go-to assignment fulfiller," she informed them pleasantly, and it was so easy to lace her words with malice, to pitch her voice lower, to let her smile turn wicked. "If I catch you two, or anyone else, messing with my things again, sliced up faces will be the last of your worries." And of course for the finishing touch, Mal let her eyes glow emerald. 

The twins quickly moved away from Carlos, who still had the sense to play the terrified runt role — though, that might actually not be an act, seeing as he'd never seen her eyes change in person, Mal realized — and Mal turned to the crowd, a scowl on her face. "Is there a reason you're all in my way?" Even though her tone was quiet, her words still made everyone scatter, and soon, only Jay was left in the hall with them, a grin on his face. 

"Quite a show, Mal," he said as he approached, bumping her shoulder the way he normally did in the hallways or on the streets. 

"Some protector you are," she said, ignoring his words and that new uneasy feeling. 

Shrugging, Jay draped an arm around Carlos' shoulders. "Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go." Jay lifted Carlos' chin, turning his face so he could inspect the bruise. 

Mal rolled her eyes. "You're such an idiot." She rolled them again when Jay chuckled. 

"What just happened?" Carlos asked quietly, looking stunned, not bothered at all that Jay kept touching him, checking him for any new injuries. 

"Figure it out later," Mal said before turning to Jay, snapping her fingers at him to get his attention. "What's the verdict?" 

Jay's grin widened as he wrapped his arm around Carlos' shoulders again, pulling him close. "We accept, of course." 

"Wait, you were serious last night?" Carlos' eyebrows shot up, definitely stunned as he glanced from Jay to Mal and back. "You're actually willing to have an arrangement with me— with us?" He stared at her, nervous and confused, but there was also something else there, something like... hope? 

Mal promptly ignored that, ignored the way that new, different unease in her gut tightened. Instead, she made a show of being irritated. "Ugh, I can't believe I claimed you in front of everyone and you turn out to be not so bright." 

Jay started laughing, not stopping even when Carlos let out an indignant huff, even when Mal slapped his arm. He just pulled Carlos closer as he gave Mal a half-assed salute. 

Mal watched as Jay and Carlos leaned against each other, a grin on Jay's face and a tentative smile on Carlos', and even though she still didn't get it, Mal decided it was enough, that having Jay's alliance was enough, and fine, even having Carlos under her wing was enough. 

But she vowed to never get involved in whatever they had going on. 

And she vowed to never get involved with anyone else. 

Things would return to normal soon enough. 

At least, they would have, if it weren't for a new arrival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from A Thousand and One Nights from Twisted. (I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it already.) 
> 
> And just a heads up for those still reading, the next chapter is where the Explicit rating and Archive Warnings really come into play, so this is me giving advanced warning. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.


	3. Alone and loveless here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie has to smile, has to talk, has to concern herself with the intricacies of others because, if she doesn't, all that's left for her to do is collapse under the pressure of her mind and the voices and doubts that echo within it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. To say I'm overwhelmed by the response to this fic is a gross understatement. I literally thought no one would like it, either because of the content or the writing itself, and had planned on just posting to the void, as one often does when posting trash. But you readers are something else entirely! One of you even found my side blog on tumblr and gave some love there (although, I feel the need to point out that, as it's a porn blog and as I myself am over 21, anyone else interested in searching for my side tumblr should refrain from doing so unless you're over 21 and are okay with triggering content; I'm afraid I won't be giving out my main blog).
> 
> Anyway, as a **thank you** to all those who've commented and left kudos, as well as an apology for the long wait, here's an extra long chapter update (longer by about 4600 words)! Seriously, the length of this one chapter could be a fic all its own.
> 
> Also, I lied. In the end notes of the last chapter, I warned that this chapter would be where the Explicit rating and Archive Warnings really come into play, but that won't be until chapter four. Sorry for any confusion! 
> 
> Now for some good news and some sort of good news. Good news: chapter four is halfway written, so the update should be a lot sooner than chapter three's. Sort of good news: if the idiots at congress shut down the government come September 30th, I'll be out of a job until they agree on things, so while it's bad news for me (no money is always bad news, le sigh), it's good news for you readers as I'll have more time to work on this fic. Just a heads up. 
> 
> Once again, this is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are my own!

Evie had been cut off from the rest of the island ever since she told her mother about the man who had grabbed her. Her mother insisted she wasn't ready to face the crowds, wasn't anywhere near the beauty she should be, so she castle-schooled Evie, taught her more about beauty efforts and home economics than actual school subjects. Who needed education when, according to her mother, beauty would ensnare any success a person needed. 

But Evie strived to excel, and not just in the ways her mother wanted her to, so she helped herself to whatever books lay around the run down castle, read them cover to cover, if only to fight off the madness that boredom brought. Her favorite book was her mother's old spell book, which she always had on hand despite memorizing it long ago.

Her mother disapproved of her reading _other_ books, so Evie learned to carry the spell book with her whenever she wanted to read something else so that, when her mother would find her and reprimand her for not working harder on her beauty, Evie could show her mother the spell book and not the one she'd been reading; her mother, though still disapproving, would merely scoff at the useless relic of the past instead of destroying the book Evie had hidden.

And while she strived to be the daughter her mother wanted, Evie couldn't take it cooped up in her mother's castle with only her mother's deluded ravings and incessant criticisms as company, so Evie would sneak out every now and then, though never venturing far from the borders of her castle grounds. She tested her smile, her blossoming beauty, as her mother often called it, on whatever passer-by happened near their castle, and she delighted in how it was getting easier and easier to render them speechless, render them motionless — she vowed that she would continue perfecting her gaze, honing this one bit of power that was all hers.

She liked feeling in control of something, for once, and it made her giddy.

With her mother, there were so many rules, so many routines to follow, and while Evie didn't mind them, as they were necessary things to learn in order to be a proper princess, sometimes she longed for someone else to talk to, something real, not her mother and her criticisms, not the passers-by and their lust filled stupor.

She missed attending school, regular school, with people her age.

But she was a princess, she was above all that, so she buried it, buried the memories of laughing with others and being allowed outside her mother's castle, because she had no room for wistful longing; she had a duty to fulfill. Find a prince, handsome and fierce, worthy of the beauty she would become. A lesson that her mother repeated every morning, talking of the grandeur of the past in between cursing the existence of Snow White.

A castle that wasn't decrepit and a handsome Prince to dote on her and make her his queen. No, Evie couldn't see anything wrong with that, wanted it just as much as her mother did, wanted it more.

Only, she couldn't meet any prince while stuck in this castle.

(She couldn't meet a prince while stuck on the island, either, but Evie buried that thought in the back of her mind as well.)

Sighing at her reflection in the mirror, done up just the way she was taught, just the way her mother loved, Evie made her way to the dining table, ready for another morning of lessons between bites of breakfast.

"Reapply your blush, and do it right this time!" her mother said instead of a greeting, barely looking up from her breakfast plate despite the fact that it held barely a scrap upon it. "You've been out of the public's eye for far too long," she continued. 

As she dutifully got out her brush, Evie refrained from reminding her mother of the reason she'd been locked up in this castle, but she held her tongue; a proper princess kept her mouth shut, smiled, and looked beautiful, and a proper princess never questioned the remarks of her queen.

"Starting today, you'll go to that filthy school with the rest of the common riff-raff."

"School!" Evie exclaimed, unable to stop the smile from growing. She couldn't believe it; she'd go to school and interact with real people again!

"I know, it's dreadful," her mother tutted, turning her nose up, still not paying much mind to her daughter, "but it's necessary! Learn to command and rule! But don't let any filthy common boys touch you! Only let the best put their hands on you!"

"Yes, mother," Evie recited, too excited about being with actual people to mind the jab.

Her mother slammed her hand down on the table, startling Evie out of her daydreams, and fixed an eye on Evie. "And whatever you do, don't cross paths with Maleficent's spawn," she warned, and Evie had never seen such a glare from her mother. "Such a hideous little creature! Bad mannered and ill-tempered as that mother of hers, she'll no doubt try to snuff out your blossoming beauty, and you can't afford any setbacks, can you, dear?" Her critical eye, like always, roamed over Evie's appearance, and her lips pursed in disapproval.

Trying not to hunch under the weight of her mother's gaze, a weight that never seemed to lessen despite all the years that had passed, Evie only nodded. "Of course, mother."

Her mother nodded, beginning another spiel about the splendor of royalty, but Evie tuned her out, trying to keep her excitement from bubbling out from within her at the thought of attending school.

Finally, something to look forward to, she thought, trying not to grin too widely so as not to gain the criticism of her mother.

Her mother corrected her anyway.

—

Everyone stared, and Evie reveled in it, smiling at those she made eye contact with, batting her eyelashes, her walk more of a saunter as she navigated the school, finding her classes.

At first, her peers were curious, bending over to help, to talk, to find out more about her, and she gladly gave them the attention, keeping an eye on the face of each person she saw get a little too close, memorizing them, making a note to watch for them, and for the most part, she enjoyed being the center of attention.

Things began to change, though, as the morning passed.

She heard the whispers of _a princess, a real princess_ and _Mal isn't gonna like this_ , and Evie tried not to let it get to her, even as people began to avoid her, looking but never engaging like they had earlier. Now, when she walked into a classroom, all activity stopped not only because of her beauty but because of the whispers.

The worst part, they were all so obvious with their glances, whether it be nervous, intrigued, or lust. It seemed like a game now, who could look the longest without getting caught by whatever entity this Mal was.

The whole thing was starting to get to her nerves, and she hoped she never met the Mal they whispered about. She even spent lunch in the girl's bathroom out of fear, and she berated herself the entire time, telling herself that she shouldn't have anyone to fear.

(In the back of her mind, her mother's warning of avoiding Maleficent's child tried to break through to the surface, but like a lot of things, she kept it buried.)

After lunch, Evie entered yet another classroom, prepared for the same treatment, and she merely glanced at everyone as they paused and stared at her, but something caught her eye: a boy with white hair and black roots, sitting in the back of the classroom, fiddling with something mechanical, had not even bothered to look up from his desk.

Curiosity overpowering her caution, Evie made her way to him, sitting down in the chair next to the boy and smiling when he looked up and blinked at her. "My name's Evie," she said, not even bothering to bat her eyelashes. It'd been a long morning, and she didn't want to see this boy reduced to puppy eyes just yet. Especially since he was the only one in the class that hadn't stopped doing what he'd been doing when she entered. "What's yours?"

"Carlos," he said quietly, eyebrow raised. "Is there a reason you're sitting here?"

Blinking in surprise, Evie raised an eyebrow of her own. His response was a little rude, and she hadn't even done anything yet. "Are seats reserved?"

"No," Carlos said simply, still looking at her expectantly.

Standoffish much, she thought, mildly intrigued. She hadn't met someone she couldn't charm at least a little. "So why can't I sit here?"

"Never said you couldn't," Carlos said with a shrug, returning to his little machine, apparently done with the conversation.

She never felt so ignored before in her life. She thought she would prefer it over the whispers and the stolen glances, but she didn't like this feeling at all. "How old are you?" she asked when it became apparent that he really wasn't going to talk again unless spoken to.

"Twelve," he answered, never taking his attention off the machine on the table.

Two years younger, so how is he in this grade, she wondered, confused. It puzzled her almost as much as the fact he was completely disinterested. "Have you ever been with a girl?" Evie found herself asking, and she blinked. Where had that come from?

"No," Carlos said, frowning as he tinkered with a particularly stubborn part of the device, "and I'm not interested." His tone clearly stated he thought she was offering to be his, and he wanted nothing of it.

"Wait a year," Evie said with certainty, mostly because she had to believe Carlos was just young enough to not be interested in girls in general right now, mostly because if he wasn't interested in her then her mother was right: she wasn't beautiful, wasn't the fairest in the land, wasn't worthy of a prince's touch.

"If you say so," Carlos said, as if he were only saying words because she expected them, and he was definitely more interested in the metal concoction than in her.

"What is that, anyway?" Evie asked, trying to distract herself from the sickening feeling rising in her throat. "It looks like a radiator of some kind." Now that she really looked at it, she could see the makings of something remarkably similar to the radiators presented in the thrown away catalogs that found their way on her castle doorstep.

Carlos stopped tinkering, staring at her with wide eyes. Then he did something she wasn't expecting: he smiled. He practically beamed, in fact. "Yeah, it is, actually. You got a good eye." Carlos nodded, pleased, and he actually stayed facing her instead of retreating back to his project.

Evie tried not to gawk. Not only had the kid's aloofness dissolved completely into a kind of welcoming warmth, the attention she got from Carlos was unlike any other, unlike the hazy eyed lust, unlike the glaring jealousy, unlike the critical disapproval of her mother, and she didn't know how to deal with it, if she were honest. Why should some kid's stupid grin make her stomach knot?

She blinked, realizing Carlos was staring at her expectantly, almost eagerly. "What?" she asked lamely, slightly embarrassed. She hadn't been behaving like a proper princess by spacing out.

Head tilting in mild confusion, Carlos repeated himself. "You're new here, right? The princess or something." At her nod, he continued. "What other classes are you taking?"

"Oh," she said, brow creasing at the smidgen of disappointment that settled within her, and she produced her schedule and placed it in his eager hand. Well, at least he heard of me, she thought, almost sullen, and she refrained from pouting. She had no idea what was going on with her today.

If her mother ever found out about this odd behavior, she wouldn't let Evie out of her room for another year, filling her days with lectures upon lessons more than usual.

"We have Horrible Histories together," Carlos said, and she blinked out of her thoughts at his delighted tone, "And you'll have Preparation and Scheming with us. Impressive." He nodded to himself, smiling as if it were indeed impressive, as if it were more impressive than the fact that Carlos was also in the class despite his age.

"Thanks," she said slowly before she really processed his words. "Who's us?" Are there more people like him, she thought, nervous for some reason.

"Jay, Mal, and me," Carlos said with a small grin, unaware of the chill that danced down her spine. "It's the last class for the day. Want me to escort you there?" He waited for her answer, eager and willing.

"Wait," she said, speaking softly now that their professor entered the class, " _Mal_?" She hoped it wasn't the same Mal that everyone had been whispering about, and if it were, how on Earth had she managed to get on the somewhat good graces of someone close to them?

Carlos' brow furrowed for a moment before his eyes widened. "Oh yeah..." He hanged his head, sheepish, squirming in his seat slightly as he avoided her eyes.

Evie couldn't comment on the topic further, no matter how much she wanted to, because the professor spoke loudly, gestured wildly, officially beginning the class, but all Evie could think about was Carlos and his reaction, how it seemed like he forgot he wasn't supposed to talk about something, about Mal.

As the professor droned on, Evie's thoughts wandered, searching for a particular memory that was buried, trying to recall the details of a girl with purple hair, but no matter how much she tried to remember, nothing definitive came back. All she knew was that the girl with the purple hair hadn't talked or interacted with anyone, really, and that she was... she was...

 _Don't cross paths with Maleficent's spawn,_ echoed in her head, her mother's disdain plain in both the words and her expression, and Evie paled. How could she forget Mal, forget her lineage, forget the rumor of Mal's wrath even all those years ago, when they were only ten? No wonder all her peers whispered and kept their distance; Maleficent wasn't exactly fond of princesses, and Evie figured her daughter must be the same way.

Trying not to sink in her chair, Evie tried to figure out how to survive her last class. She couldn't exactly skip or reschedule it, seeing as Carlos had already seen her schedule, so she braced herself on finally meeting Mal.

But more than that, Evie wondered how someone like Carlos could say Mal's name so casually in comparison to everyone else.

So wrapped up in her thoughts that Evie hadn't heard the bell drone, signaling the change of classes, and it was only when Carlos stood in front of her that she blinked back to reality.

"So, uh." Carlos cleared his throat, but he still fidgeted. "Do you want to walk to class together? Or are the, uh, rumors getting to you?"

"So you have heard what's being said in the halls," Evie said as she packed her things.

"I usually don't pay any attention to what the other kids say," Carlos said with a shrug.

Evie frowned, following him out of the classroom. "Isn't that dangerous? What if someone wants to plot against you or something?"

Carlos chuckled nervously, averting his eyes again. "I don't think that'll happen..."

Evie remained quiet. Carlos was a mystery to her. Smart, aloof, sheepish, _optimistic_ , he was even walking her to class! How was he even close to someone as infamous as Mal?

"Evil Queen's daughter, right?" Carlos asked as they entered another classroom.

"Yeah," she followed him to a seat, noticing how those who were already there not only stopped what they were doing as all the rest of her classes did, but they were staring with open horror. Could Carlos be some twisted mastermind whose evil was on par with Mal? Had she been taken in by the facade he wore? "Whose kid are you?" she asked once they were seated.

Frowning slightly, Carlos shrugged. "Cruella de Vil," he answered. "We met once before, I'm pretty sure."

"Sorry, I sort of don't remember a lot," Evie said, smiling her winning smile, trying not to think about how much she buried in her mind; if she kept the memories of life before being castle-schooled, before that man had grabbed and tried to take, if she kept them close, she really would have gone mad from being all alone in that drafty castle, ranting about the past just like her mother did.

In her mother's eyes, it was fine to wish for a prince, but it was damning to wish for a life outside a castle's mirror.

Carlos just shrugged again. "I'm not very memorable, it's okay." His eyes were downcast, and he barely fiddled with the radiator.

Just as she opened her mouth to correct him, to say that he was _definitely_ memorable, someone stopped in front of their desk, and Evie looked up to find herself on the receiving end of a glare, its owner a girl with purple hair.

"Who're _you_?" she asked.

"Mal..." Carlos began meekly, but he closed his mouth when Mal held up a hand, her eyes never leaving Evie.

Evie could only stare. _This_ was Mal, daughter of Maleficent, whose wrath and presence made their peers whisper and keep away, the one Evie's mother warned her about, the one Evie's mother said was a hideous little creature? Evie saw none of that.

Well, yes, she saw wrath in Mal's eyes and felt Mal's presence, but Evie also saw a girl who was... beautiful. Strikingly so. Even the paleness of her skin didn't belie the fact that Mal didn't necessarily need makeup to pull you in, that she was gorgeous all on her own.

Evie's heart sank. How could she compete with Mal's beauty, with her mere presence? Her mother had been right all along; she wasn't the fairest.

"Don't make me ask again," Mal said, eyes narrowing.

"E-Evie," Evie stammered out, "Evil Queen's daughter."

Her words gained a sneer. "And why are you sitting here?"

"I..." Evie opened her mouth to say more, to try to explain that she was harmless, that she wouldn't put up a fight or cause any trouble, but nothing came out. She felt like she was drowning in Mal's eyes, in that intense green gaze.

"Mal," Carlos whispered, and he sat straighter when her gaze turned on him, "she has three classes with me, so I-I thought, uh, we could s-sit together." He squirmed in his seat, eyes wide as he waited for her reaction.

Mal's gaze focused on Evie again, causing her to sit straighter as well, and Mal scoffed. "How cute," was all she said before she turned around, and whatever look she gave the rest of the class had them scrambling to pretend like they weren't watching the whole scene with avid interest.

Evie's heart raced, and she glanced at Carlos, relieved to see him relax now that Mal had returned to her own seat; it meant that Evie could relax as well.

But she didn't relax for long. In fact, she could barely concentrate. All she could think about was Mal, sitting up in the front of the classroom, near the door, commanding the attention of their classmates without even trying.

How could Evie ever compete?

("You have a lot of work to do," her mother had said, scrunching her nose up in disapproval. "How do you expect to appeal to _anyone_ looking like you do now? No, we need to keep the public from seeing you, until you're at least a little more decent with your looks."

Evie had heard those words for four years ever since she was ten, and after each time, she felt sick looking into the mirror, close to tears. What good was knowing how to clean, sew, and cook when no one, let alone a prince, would find her appealing enough to take her hand in marriage, to take her home, to take her anywhere?)

"Evie?" Carlos called quietly, snapping her out of her daze. "Ready for our last class?"

"Maybe?" she said, uncertain and near close to sullen. The last two classes are going to be a nightmare, she thought, grudgingly following him out into the hallway; she hadn't even opened her notebook!

"It shouldn't be too bad," Carlos said, shrugging a little. He glanced forward, out into the hallway, and his steps faltered for half a second. "Um," he began, pitching his voice low, glancing at her, "you don't have anything valuable on you, right?"

Evie furrowed her brow. "What?" That was a total non sequitur if she ever heard one. She tried to follow his eyes, but Carlos sighed and shook his head slightly, keeping her attention on him.

"You might want to check your pockets after this," he warned, and before Evie could ask what that meant, someone placed their hand on Carlos' head, pulling him away from her.

"What's got Mal all pissy, dude?"

Evie watched as this boy with long dark hair and even darker eyes pulled Carlos into something like a headlock, his grin dazzling as Carlos tried in vain to get free. He hadn't so much as glanced her way, his attention focused entirely on Carlos.

Evie's confidence took yet another stab. And to think, this morning she was excited about going back to school.

"Jay, stop," Carlos grunted out, but it didn't seem like he was all that concerned with getting loose, despite his attempts at freedom. "You're making a terrible first impression."

Jay paused, blinking, and looked over at Evie, curious.

"Hey," she offered, smiling. Jay wasn't that bad looking. In fact, Evie would go as far as to call him handsome, gorgeous even. So what if he was a little rough around the edges; his grin made up for it, in her opinion.

He gave her a once over, a smirk playing on his lips as he released Carlos. "Hey yourself." Jay bowed a little, holding his hand out, palm up. "You're a princess, right? Certainly pretty enough to be one." He winked.

Smile widening, Evie nodded, giving a little curtsy as she offered her hand. "Evie, Evil Queen's daughter." Her heart might have skipped a beat as Jay took her hand and gave it a kiss, looking up at her with a grin.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carlos shake his head as Jay stood straight.

Remembering his warning, Evie glanced at her hand, blinking at how it was now bare. "Hey, my ring..."

Carlos snorted, trying to pass it off as a cough as he looked away from Jay, but Jay only grinned, nodding in amusement.

"Nice eye," he said as he tossed the ring back, chuckling when as she caught it with a frown. "So, this is the princess that Mal has issues with." He cast an amused glance at Evie before turning his attention back on Carlos as he hooked his arm around Carlos' neck.

So all that was just to steal from me, she thought, her confidence once again taking a dive.

"It's my fault," Carlos said quietly.

"Oh?" Jay's eyebrows rose high, and he stared at Carlos, waiting on an explanation.

Seeing as he paid no mind to her, Evie studied them, taking in how Jay interacted with Carlos, taking in how the other kids hurried away from them or avoided them altogether, eyes wide as they held their belongings close to their person. She had a feeling there was something going on between them and Mal.

"I invited her to sit next to me in Horrible Histories," Carlos admitted, glancing nervously up at Jay.

Jay snorted, shaking his head. "It's only been three weeks, man. You can't throw a wrench in the machine before it's even settled." He gave a rough ruffle to Carlos' hair, rolling his eyes.

"That doesn't even make sense," Carlos complained, defensive, trying to wiggle his way out of Jay's hold. 

"So," Evie said, interrupting their little banter because she didn't think she could take being so blatantly ignored anymore, "the point is that I shouldn't sit by Carlos anymore, right?"

Jay looked at her, shrugging. "I don't care what you do, really." He glanced at Carlos, eyebrow raised. "Why did you invite her to sit with you anyway?"

A faint pink dusted Carlos' cheeks. "She knew I was working on a radiator, and since she has three classes with me, I—"

"You wanted to be nerds together," Jay finished, smirking. "That's cool and all. Mal will probably be fine with that."

"The same Mal who tried to kill me with her glare?" Evie asked, bewildered. She began to rethink her choice of company; these two boys were insane.

"Yup," Jay said with a nod and a grin, proving her thoughts. "That's mostly just how she looks, though."

"Jay," Carlos said, brow creased with uncertainty, "are you sure she'll be fine with it?"

Shrugging, Jay gave Carlos another hair ruffle. "Well, let's head to class and find out." With that, he let Carlos go, heading in the opposite direction.

Evie frowned. "Isn't he in our last class?"

Nodding, Carlos continued walking. "Mal and Jay never get to class on time. I don't know what he does, but he always shows up late."

"And I should sit with you?" she asked, still unsure about this whole situation.

"Sure," Carlos said with a nod and a small smile. His face fell, though, as he glanced at her. "Unless you don't want the hassle."

It's almost like he's a puppy, she thought, wisely deciding to never mention the thought to him. "Well, you _are_ the only one who's talking to me," Evie said instead. It might be a bit of a hassle at first, but she'd been alone for four years with nothing but her mother's voice all around her; she needed someone else to talk to.

The corners of Carlos' lips twitched upward, his eyes bright with amusement. "Technically, you spoke to me first."

Smirking, as two can play that game, Evie simply shrugged. "How was I supposed to know you were off limits?"

Carlos turned red. "I am not off limits!"

"I might have been isolated from other people for a few years, but it doesn't take a genius to see the fear in their eyes when we talk and walk together," Evie said, matter-of-fact, raising an eyebrow.

The red on Carlos' cheeks deepened, and he resolutely avoided looking at her. "Oh man, everyone is wrong about you."

Curious, Evie nudged Carlos playfully. "What are they saying, mister 'I usually don't pay any attention to what the other kids say,' hmm?" She sent a coy smile his way.

Groaning, Carlos shook his head. "They think you're just a ditzy princess." He gave her a look as they entered their last class. "But you're gonna raise hell, aren't you?"

Evie couldn't help it: she laughed.

But she wished she hadn't when she noticed how quiet the room was, and she paled when she noticed Mal sitting at one of the tables in the back of the class, staring at them with that intense gaze of hers. Evie felt Carlos hesitate beside her, but she followed him when he continued walking, trying to ignore the eyes of everyone else in the class as they sat down at the table beside Mal's, Carlos sitting between Evie and Mal.

"H-hey, Mal," Carlos ventured. "You're here early."

Mal only nodded, her gaze still focused on them, studying.

Evie felt like her soul was laid bare for all to see under that gaze.

So she was relieved when Mal's eyes flickered to the door, and she took in a small breath.

"Aw, did I miss the fun already?"

Evie froze, looking up at Jay as he sauntered toward them, a grin on his face.

"It's too early in the day to listen to your idiocy, Jay," Mal said without batting an eyelash.

"The day's almost over." Jay rolled his eyes, but then he grinned, leaning forward some. "Besides, I got a nice trade offer," Jay practically sing-songed, dangling a necklace that looked remarkably similar to...

"Oh!" Evie squeaked, her hand reaching for her neck before she could stop herself. She stared wide-eyed at Jay, at the crowned heart pendant he let dangle from his grasp. When had he stolen that?

"Well," Mal said, a smooth smile slowly forming on her lips, "I think I might do business for that." She jerked her head to the side, gesturing for Jay to join her, which he did, by jumping over the table and into the empty chair.

Evie let her hands rest in her lap, tried to keep her face as neutral as she could, and kept her eyes glued on her notebook. Be still and poised, just like mother taught you; just don't challenge them, she thought, breathing evenly. She needed to be quiet, to be appealing, needed them to approve of her. It was just a stupid necklace, it didn't mean anything, so what if it was one of the few things that was hers and hers alone, it didn't—

Carlos placed a hand on hers, and she glanced at him, surprised as he even offered a small smile.

Emboldened by the gesture, Evie stared at their classmates, all of whom had been not-so-subtly watching the scene, and glared, holding her head high. A wave of satisfaction washed over her as they quickly turned around.

Their professor entered the class, a sneer on her face, and Evie opened her notebook with a little more force than necessary, determined not to miss this lecture like she did her last two.

Carlos moved his hand from hers, taking his pencil and writing in the corner of her notebook, _breathe_ , and Evie did as told, grateful for the reminder as Lady Tremaine began speaking. Preparation and scheming, she thought as she listened to the lecture, a fire kindling within her. 

If they thought she was one of those helpless little princesses, the kind found in Auradon who fell prey to anything, well, she'd prove them wrong, prove just how dangerous it was to underestimate her. She'd show them her power; she couldn't strike fear into the heart, but she could make the heart _beat_ , and that could be just as damaging.

Evie knew she couldn't go up against Mal and Jay head to head, couldn't compete with their wrath and strength, with their _beauty_ , but she could show them what she was made of, show them just how capable she was.

When class ended, and Evie gathered her things, quickly and quietly, still holding her head high, trying not to pay any attention to how Mal and Jay moved, how they paid _her_ no attention.

"So," Carlos said when they were out of the classroom, "first day back didn't go as planned?"

Shrugging, Evie gave him a half-hearted smile. "Not exactly. I did meet interesting people, though." She winked at him, unable to help herself. He might not be interested in her looks, but Evie still felt the need to gain his approval. Besides, it was nice to talk to someone who wasn't in her imagination or her mother again.

Carlos chuckled. "Well, it's nice to reconnect with a neighbor."

"That's right," Evie said, berating herself for not recalling the fact sooner. "You live in Hell Hall. Usually the only thing heard from that place is Cru—"

"Yeah," Carlos cut in, letting out a nervous chuckle. "It's home. Are you heading straight back?"

Evie paused. Her mother hadn't given her any specific orders regarding what to do once school ended. She could go out into the bazaar, hike the outskirts of the island, venture out to the borders of the barrier. She didn't have to go back to the castle until morning, could stay out all night and— All night with people she'd never met, staring at her, _looking_ at her. "I suppose I should head back..." Evie said finally, keeping her voice pleasant. "Homework and all that."

"Okay. Hey," Carlos called as she began to leave, shuffling his feet she when faced him, "I can talk to Jay and Mal, you know, to get your necklace back."

Evie blinked, feeling something tighten within her chest. Slowly, she shook her head. "No, it's okay. I'm the new girl, right? Things like this are bound to happen." She smiled for him because he still looked at her with those eyes, concern and worry in them. And seeing as she resolved to show Mal and Jay what she was made of, Evie didn't want to put Carlos in the middle of things.

Nodding, Carlos gave a little wave. "See you tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow," Evie agreed, turning to walk home, a slight bounce to her step. Tomorrow, she thought again, already planning. Carlos had asked if she would raise hell, and she grinned.

Let tomorrow come.

—

"People are talking about you," Carlos when she sat down, glancing at the group of boys who had all but sighed dreamily when she entered the room.

"The right people?" she asked innocently, sending a glance to their peers, smiling when she saw them melt.

"Depends." The corners of Carlos' mouth twitched upward. "Talk of the school two days in a row, for two different reasons. Impressive."

"Hell raising?" Evie supplied, smiling when Carlos snorted. "If people are going to talk, they're going to talk about what I want them to talk about," she said, matter-of-fact. It'd been easy, easier than any passer-by, to command the attention of her peers, to influence how they acted simply by smiling in a certain way.

"And this has nothing to do with Mal and Jay?" Carlos asked, eyebrow raised.

Evie tilted her head, blinking at him. "Of course not, whatever gave you that idea?"

Carlos snorted again, and Evie smiled. "Trying to gain favor, huh? Not a bad way to do it, I guess."

"Why bother trying to entrance the school when I could just entrance you, mister off limits?" She gave him a coy smile, batting her eyelashes.

Amused, Carlos shook his head. "Pretty sure seducing someone in an arrangement with the two big bads of the school isn't exactly the right way to gain favor with them." He paused, furrowing his brow, before he sat a little straighter, a little more rigid.

Interesting, she thought as she pretended not to notice the behavior or the phrasing of his words. "I suppose," Evie conceded, still smiling even as she wondered what kind of arrangement could he possibly have with Mal and Jay. "I didn't see you at lunch," she said instead, giving him the change in subject so he wouldn't feel spooked.

He blinked. "I don't really eat with everyone else. I never have, actually."

"So you eat with Mal and Jay?" She hadn't seen them either, but it wasn't like she was seeking them out. She just didn't notice them due to the fact she was enthralling the masses, getting them to do what she wanted, drew them in even as she kept them at a distance.

"You know, I have no idea where Mal goes at lunch," Carlos said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Jay usually hangs out in empty classrooms."

"So you hang out with him," she guessed, doodling in her notebook in hopes of disguising the fact that she was fishing for information.

"Definitely not. He doesn't hang around with people like me," Carlos said, facing forward as the professor barreled into the room, but that hadn't stopped Evie from noticing the pinch to Carlos' eyes.

My foot, he doesn't, she thought, casting a side glance at Carlos, deciding that the topic could be brought up later, when she'd had more time to think about how to approach the topic.

For now, class received her full attention.

—

Carlos had left her after the class ended, saying he had to meet someone before Horrible Histories, and as Evie didn't want to go into the classroom to face Mal alone, she took her time in the hallway, entertaining herself with watching how those who passed her paused and followed her movements.

Some thought they could win her favor — she noticed it in the way they walked, the way they _looked_ at her — but she kept them in their place, becoming the princess she was raised to be, her mother's words floating in the back of her mind, whispers of unworthiness and _don't let any filthy common boys touch_. Even as the halls began to clear as the next class time neared, Evie noticed how many of her peers lingered, watching whether or not she'd stay in the hall or leave with the crowd.

Not liking the idea of being the last one in class, thus gaining the attention of Mal, Evie made her way to Horrible Histories, hoping that Carlos was there already.

Movement caught her eye, and Evie paused, backtracked in the mostly empty hallway, watched as some boy — Cortor, she thought, one of the ones who got a little too close to her the other day — snuck into the girl's bathroom. She raised an eyebrow. Why was he going into the girl's bathroom? Curious, she crept behind him, a pencil in her hand in case things turned sour. She took care to make sure the door hadn't creaked too much, but some sort of shuffle within the restroom seemed to mask whatever small noise it made.

Clutching the pencil tighter, she moved farther in, bracing herself for a fight. She wasn't prepared for the sight she'd find.

Evie stared.

Carlos, kneeling in front of Cortor, his brow scrunched up in pain as Cortor held onto his head, keeping it in place so he could thrust into Carlos' mouth, Carlos' hands gripping Cortor's hips so hard his knuckles were white.

"What's going on?" Evie asked harshly, squaring her shoulders and glaring when Cortor looked at her, startled, and she tried not to react at the way Carlos gasped when Cortor let go of him.

"Shit," he muttered, and he practically ran out the bathroom, trying to straighten himself out on the way.

Once he was gone, Evie dropped her glare, all attention on Carlos. "Carlos, what—"

"Don't tell Jay," Carlos croaked out as he scrambled to his feet, words nearly jumbled together in his quickness to get them out, panic rising in his eyes as he wiped his mouth and chin with the back of his hand.

 _That's_ the first thing he says, she thought incredulously. "What _happened_?"

"It, it wasn't as bad as it looked." He made a face. "Probably."

"He forced himself on you?" Evie asked, her tone demanding the truth. She made a note to make that boy pay; she never forgot a face.

Carlos winced, looking away as he slowly shook his head no, but he looked at her again, pleading. "Please don't tell Jay." He paled. "Or Mal. Don't tell either of them."

Evie remained silent. She didn't know how to process this information. "So... you asked him... to do that?" Evie asked slowly, somehow unable to wrap her head around the thought. She didn't see Carlos as being... well, as being sexual in any way.

"In so many words..." Carlos answered, fidgeting.

So that was the person he had to meet, she thought, bewildered. He had planned for that to happen. "So it wasn't your age," Evie said slowly, still trying to understand. "It was your preference." She guessed that made sense; she hadn't even thought about that possibility, if she were honest, but that was probably due to the fact she was capable of swaying the gazes of male and female peers alike.

Confusion creased his brow before he understood what she was talking about, and Carlos' cheeks turned red, causing him to fidget even more. "Well, it might be a little of both?"

"Why him?" Evie asked without thinking, but now that it was out there, she really wanted to know. "Wouldn't Jay be the best to ask?"

Carlos let out a little laugh, borderline hysterical as it was. "No way would Jay do something like that with me."

Eyebrow raised, Evie shrugged. "I don't know, Carlos. Have you seen how physical he is with you?"

Blush darkening, Carlos shook his head. "No, you don't understand."

"I find you with another boy in the girl's bathroom, you bet I don't understand," Evie said flatly.

"Jay's walked in on worse," Carlos said quietly.

"Really," Evie said, surprised, but the information didn't deter her. "And yet he's still physical with you. I don't think he minded whatever he saw."

Eyes wide, Carlos shook his head harshly. "He wanted to murder the men, Evie."

Evie's eyebrows rose, eyes wide. " _Men_?" No way, she thought, studying Carlos, because _men_ implied more than once and a lot older. No way, she thought again.

Carlos flinched. "Yeah... I-I didn't exactly have a say..." he mumbled, squirming.

"Carlos..." Evie said helplessly, her gut heavy with unease, and for a moment she found herself ten years old again, back when a man had grabbed her from her gardens, had touched what he hadn't supposed to, but she shook her head to clear away the feeling.

Carlos had actually experienced what came next, _more than once_ , and Jay had walked in on the acts. Evie had to tell herself to calm down, to think clearly. "Does Mal know?" she asked quietly.

"She never saw me..." Carlos swallowed, taking a breath before continuing. "But Jay said she knows. It's, it's why she entered our arrangement."

Finally, she thought, glad to be getting to bottom of what the deal was with the three of them. "What arrangement?"

Carlos swallowed again, eyes wide, and he looked like a cornered, frightened animal.

"Carlos, you're the only one I really talk to," Evie said, hoping to mollify his fear.

"Jay protects me and Mal protects both of us, well, mostly Jay, but that's it," he said, a rush of words with barely any breath between them.

Still, Evie felt like he was hiding something else, but she decided to give the kid a break; he looked like he was going to keel over any minute now. "Okay. _Okay_." She waited until he breathed a little easier before she continued speaking. "Guess that explains why everyone avoids you." It's a great system, really, now that she thought about it; Mal was capable of putting fear into anyone, and if she said not to go near someone, that was as good as protection anyone would get.

"Yeah..." Carlos said with a shrug. "Not many people bothered me too much when it was just Jay, but well. Jay didn't tell Mal at first, so things got a little..." He gestured his hands wildly, shuddering slightly.

A fallout between Jay and Mal? Evie almost wished she'd seen it. From what she'd gathered, they were an alliance since they were young, with Jay being the only one crazy enough not to fear Mal, so Jay going behind Mal's back must have caused such a scene.

Even if it did, they're just peachy now, she thought with a small sigh as she glanced at Carlos. He still looked ready to faint, his eyes downcast as he fiddled with the ends of his coat.

"We're late for class," Evie said, just to break the silence. "Would it be better or worse to head there together?"

"Doesn't matter," Carlos said, glancing up at her. "Everyone's already noticed how you aren't there. I doubt they noticed my absence."

"Mal would," Evie said, uncomfortable with the look in his eyes; resignation didn't look good on him.

Carlos made a face. "Doubt it. Mal barely tolerates me."

"I don't think she'd go through the trouble of scaring the whole school if she only tolerated you," Evie argued, even though the question of why kept repeating itself in her head; really, finding out about the arrangement only raised more questions than it answered, the big one being _why_.

Shaking his head, Carlos crossed his arms over his chest. "She did that for Jay, not for me," he said, matter-of-fact and not at all fazed by it. "He's a better ally to have than I am."

"Is Jay as smart as you?"

"Well... No, not really, but," Carlos continued louder, cutting her off, " _Mal_ is smart. Why would she need me?"

"Why would anyone need anyone?" Evie countered, gesturing for Carlos to follow her out the room. She'd had enough of bathrooms and mirrors for the day. For the year, really, thanks to her mother. "C'mon, let's head to class."

Hesitating, Carlos shook his head. "What if Mal knows?"

Evie raised an eyebrow. "If she knows, that means Cortor won't be in school for much longer." At his blank face, she continued. "The fact of the matter is she placed you as off limits, and he still moved in on you. Even if you did ask him, Mal probably won't be too pleased _he_ didn't ask for _her_ permission first." Evie shrugged, brushing her hair off of her shoulders; that would be how she'd feel if she were in Mal's boots. "However you look at it, the fault isn't on your shoulders."

Silent and brow slightly creased, Carlos pondered over her words, staring into space.

Feeling bolder, Evie continued, as nonchalantly as she could. "So, really, the safest person to ask would be Jay."

Her words snapped Carlos out of his musings, and he frowned, shaking his head. "Definitely not the safest to ask," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

Evie opened her mouth to protest, to question his reasoning, but the bell droned, and while he didn't look too thrilled to face Mal and Jay, Carlos seemed relieved at the chance to change the topic.

So Evie gave him that, walking to the door and motioning for him to follow; it wouldn't be good for Carlos to be seen walking out of the girl's bathroom, and judging by his facial expression, he'd realized the dilemma. Evie watched him hurry out, and she followed quickly after, figuring she could use her charm to distract anyone who noticed.

And someone did indeed notice.

Evie narrowed her eyes at Cortor, not liking the way his gaze trailed after Carlos before settling on her. I've got my eyes on you, she thought, holding her head high but trying not to let her disgust show on her face, her mother's words of _wrinkles_ echoing in her head, and she followed Carlos, trying to put herself between him and Cortor's gaze.

After catching up with Carlos, Evie watched as he hesitated outside the classroom, his hands nervously playing with the end of his coat. She lightly nudged him, offering a smile when he jerkily glanced at her, and to her relief, he took a deep breath before entering the room.

Mal was already there, causing Carlos to hesitate once more, but Evie subtly pushed him forward.

"You weren't in the last class," Mal drawled out, barely glancing at him as he sat down.

Carlos swallowed, and Evie grabbed hold of his shirt, trying to be subtle in her attempt at comfort. He took a breath. "I, uh, I—"

"Don't tell me you got beat up," Mal said, her expression growing fiercer, and Evie was once again taken away with how gorgeous she was, even in her wrath.

"No!" Carlos said quickly, wincing slightly at Mal's raised eyebrow. "Well, I mean, I probably would have, but nothing happened, so everything's fine, right?" He gave a nervous smile, his fingers tapping odd patterns into the desk's surface.

Mal studied him, gaze unblinking, and Evie wondered how Carlos could even stand it.

" _Would_ have?" was all Mal asked, stare unfaltering.

Carlos swallowed again. "E-Evie sort of helped me out," he muttered.

Eyes wide, Evie sat straighter, alarmed, as that intense gaze switched from Carlos to her, Mal's green eyes piercing. "I-I didn't do much," she stammered out, cursing herself for not being more confident — she had vowed to show Mal and Jay what she was made of, hadn't she? — but the weight of those green eyes was almost unbearable. How did Carlos _do_ it, she thought, both terrified and amazed.

"Little miss blueberry princess here?" Mal asked, either unimpressed or disbelieving as she glanced back at Carlos.

Something sparked within her, and Evie found herself speaking. "It's easy to distract thick-headed boys if you know how to work them." She blinked, blood freezing when she realized what she said, who she said it to, and Evie waited with bated breath for Mal's reaction.

Mal, though, only tilted her head the slightest bit, eyebrow quirking as she considered Evie. Then, she blinked, and she faced forward, no longer paying any attention to them as she flipped open a notebook.

Carlos breathed a little easier, slouching a little in his chair, and he did the same, opening his notes and flipping to a semi-blank page. Evie watched as he fidgeted, though, watched as he kept glancing at Mal, increasing his frequency once the professor walked into class.

"Carlos?" Evie whispered, confused and concerned. Mal believed his story, had no idea of knowing what really went down last class period, so why was he so nervous right now?

"Mal?" Carlos whispered, swallowing when she glanced at him. "Where's Jay?"

Oh, I get it now, she thought, realizing that she hadn't seen the other boy all day, and Evie tried not to seem too eager to learn Jay's whereabouts as well, tried not to seem like she was listening at all.

With a roll of her eyes, Mal continued sketching in her notebook. "He's never around for his birthday," she answered, and disgust painted her features, her grip on her pencil tighter. "It's a _thing_ his dad does."

With the conversation clearly over, given by the expression on Mal's face, Carlos and Evie focused on the professor in front of them, but Evie couldn't help but notice how Carlos was wrapped up in his own thoughts, his brow slightly creased, his hand holding his pencil but remaining unmoved.

Her own thoughts turned toward Jay, wondering what sort of _thing_ he was undergoing, wondering what sort of thing _Mal_ could disapprove of like that, and Evie bit the inside of her lip. Whatever Mal and Jay had, it was different, was _more_ than what Mal had with Carlos, and it was different from what Carlos had with Jay — though, she wasn't sure if what the two boys had was _more_ ; in fact, Evie got the impression that Mal and Jay's something had equal weight with Carlos and Jay's something, but she wasn't sure.

What she was sure of, though, was the fact that the three of them had something that she could never possess. She was an outsider, no talents or strengths to offer this group of seemingly mismatched teens, and Evie had no idea why Carlos even tolerated her; he, along with Mal and Jay, were the only ones who hadn't gotten that _look_ in their eyes when they looked at her. Mal had only looked at her with disgust, and the boys had barely noticed her to begin with, all three of them proving her mother's words true, proving that she didn't belong with them, near them, even.

How could Evie ever compete with, how could she ever think she could rule over, three teens such as ones she got herself mixed up with, their presence and traits overwhelming any she claimed to possess?

Show them what you're made of? As if, she thought bitterly, forcing herself to take notes and pay attention. I'm not capable of anything special; my title as princess is the only thing that makes me uncommon, but those three have no royal leanings, don't need them to be above the common folk, she thought, miserable and dejected, feeling her bottom lip quiver, and she blinked away the horrid ache in her chest.

—

It'd been four long years since she'd been in the bazaar, and Evie held in her excitement as she passed the rundown shops. Never had she been more happy and willing to follow her mother's instruction, silently thanking her luck that the cream they used had run low, and Evie took her time perusing the different shops and their wares.

It was exactly what she needed to combat her first week back in school. While some of her peers spoke to her, most were still wary to be near her for long due to her close proximity to Carlos, and it was refreshing not having to be the talk of whispers in the bazaar. Sure, people looked, but she suspected it was only because they hadn't seen her around.

Even after she located her mother's cream, getting a pretty good deal for it, if she could say so, Evie lingered, not ready to leave the hustle and bustle of the bazaar for her mother's silent and drafty castle. It was only when she spotted graffiti, an artistic rendering of Maleficent's horns and robe and fire with the words _long live evil!_ underneath it, that Evie began to feel out of place.

Mal had marked this place as hers, too, so Evie shouldn't be there, shouldn't take pleasure in being somewhere she wasn't wanted. True, Mal hadn't been outwardly disapproving in school ever since Carlos told her Evie had helped him, but Mal didn't need to be open with her feelings to get the message across; the fact that she ignored Evie but not Carlos told Evie exactly what Mal thought of her: Mal thought Evie was no different from the rest of their peers, the ones her mother called common riff-raff.

Her mood soured, Evie decided to head back home, figuring she could always return to the bazaar on a later date, one where she wasn't too crippled by the weight of Mal's seemingly ever-presence.

Before she left, though, she caught sight of a boy with white hair and black roots near the other side of the bazaar, and Evie felt her mood lighten. She could afford to greet Carlos before she left for home. More than that, she _wanted_ to talk to him; he'd been the only one to treat her decently, despite the way Mal and Jay brushed her off, so she made her way to him with confident steps.

Until she noticed a man, sluggish and brutish, eye Carlos as he passed, watched as the man's gaze followed Carlos as he turned a corner. After a few moments, Evie saw the man trail behind Carlos, and she hurried to follow them, a sinking feeling in her stomach, her mind recalling Carlos' words of _men_ and _didn't exactly have a say_.

For a moment, she lost sight of that man, of Carlos, and her pace quickened, wondering where they could have gone, eyes scanning the area, trying to find clues to their location. Her gaze lingered on a semi-blocked alleyway, and that sinking feeling in her stomach grew heavier as she neared it.

Sure enough, they were inside, the brute blocking most of the pathway as he loomed closer to Carlos. Carlos was clutching his side, staring up at the man with wide eyes, but everything else about him was calm; he even looked ready to fight his way out, despite the man being twice his size in girth and length.

Evie was having none of that.

"Hey," she nearly snarled, gaining the man's attention and startling Carlos. "Get lost. Now." Her voice held the command and confidence of the royalty her mother claimed them to be, and she never took her eyes off of the man as he sneered at her.

"Hey, girlie, wanna join the fun?"

The man's words made her blood boil, and she got her pencil ready, daring him with her eyes to make the first move so she could stick it into his neck. He'd already hurt Carlos, and now he was threatening her; she wanted to make him pay, wanted to use him as a way to get her frustrations about the past week out, and for some unknowable reason, needed to protect Carlos.

She dodged out of the way when the man lunged at her, easily jamming her pencil into his forearm in the process, and as he howled, she moved in front of Carlos, holding out one arm to keep him behind her while digging into her bag for the pair of scissors she always kept with her.

"Evie, run!" Carlos whispered fiercely, clutching her shoulders, trying to push her away.

But Evie would not be moved. She might not be anything special, might not mean anything to Mal and Jay, but she would not abandon Carlos to this brute's clutches. Readying her scissors, she braced herself for another attack, narrowing her eyes as he came for the both of them.

"Hey," came a call, and when the man turned, Evie saw Jay deliver a punch to his face, hard enough that the man _stumbled back_.

"Jay..." Carlos whispered, and his grip on her shoulders tightened. She could understand how Carlos felt: after being missing in action for the majority of the week, Jay had suddenly appeared before them, fighting off an attacker.

A convenient coincidence indeed, she thought.

Outraged, the man surged forward, swinging his arms wildly, keen on tearing Jay apart.

Evie watched as Jay moved, ducking and dodging easily, his agility no match for his foe, his face fierce as he delivered his own punches and kicks, countering anything the brute threw at him without so much as breaking a sweat. It was so different from watching Jay interact with their peers at school, with Mal in the classroom, with Carlos anywhere. For the first time, Evie recognized Jay as the deadly force he was.

Another man came toward the alley, toward them, slow and angry, and Evie acted before she thought: she picked up a rock and threw it at the newcomer, sending a glare with it.

Jay caught the movement, and he spun around with his foe, maneuvering so that the man collided with the newcomer. With a grin, Jay watched as the two brutes fell to the ground in a mess of limbs and groans, and he moved next to them, delivering harsh kicks to their heads to keep them down.

When he turned to Evie and Carlos, though, Jay's grin was nowhere to be found. He gave them a subtle jerk of his head, telling them to leave the alley, and they quickly complied, stepping over the two men with care.

They didn't look back. They didn't have to.

Because as they neared the outskirts of the bazaar, Jay appeared in front of them, eyebrow raised.

"So," he said when they only stared at him, "that happened." His gaze cut to Carlos, and everything about his bearing, his expression was devoid of his usual humor; the seriousness was as startling up close as his fighting skills had been.

Beside her, Carlos swallowed audibly. "I was—"

"Don't you blame him," Evie warned, stepping in front of Carlos for the second time that evening, digging a finger into Jay's chest, not caring that she had just seen him take down two men twice his size.

Blinking, Jay swatted away her finger with one hand while he held up the other. "I wasn't blaming him, princess."

"Then don't give him that pissy attitude," Evie countered, not budging an inch even when she felt the smallest of tugs on her skirt from Carlos.

Glancing briefly over her shoulder at Carlos, Jay gave her a considering look. "What's it to you what kind of attitude I give him?" he asked, and his eyes roamed over her, sizing her up, measuring her and apparently find her wanting. Like always.

It made Evie narrow her eyes. "You're mistaken if you think I'm just a little princess," she warned. She turned around, turning her back on Jay, something that just wasn't done, if Carlos' alarmed reaction meant anything, and she linked her arm with Carlos'. "I'm taking him home," she said over her shoulder, eyes still narrowed at Jay. The quiet surprise on his face almost made her smile. "Let's go, Carlos."

Carlos, blinking in bewilderment, merely walked with her, letting her lead, and he briefly sent a glance back at Jay before looking at the road ahead of them, both of them silent as they made the trek.

Evie didn't mind the silence, not this time, as it gave her time to calm her temper. Really, she didn't know what came over her; she never had that problem when it was just her and her mother, and Jay hadn't even _really_ done anything that warranted her outburst, except saving them from having to deal with two thick-headed men who couldn't take orders. So then why would she go off on him?

She supposed it had to do with the way _Carlos_ reacted, not Jay. The way he sounded had put her on edge, especially considering she knew what he'd been through in the past, and it made her defensive on his behalf, protective even, when Jay — someone who was supposed to know what had happened to Carlos as well — still acted like Carlos was the one at fault for what happened in the bazaar this evening.

As the grounds of Hell Hall came into their sights, Evie cleared her throat, glancing at her companion. "Did you mind me walking you?" she asked softly. She felt eyes on them, had since they left the bazaar, and as she had a sneaking suspicion on who was watching, she didn't want to speak too loudly.

Slowly, Carlos shook his head. "I'm just a little stunned," he admitted, just as soft; he still had his arm linked with hers, and that told Evie more than Carlos' words did.

"Sorry for the last minute plans," she said with a smile, squeezing his arm some as she nudged him gently. "So your mom won't mind you sleeping over?"

"Sleep over?" Carlos said, a little too loud, and he nearly tripped over his own two feet if it weren't for the fact that Evie held him up.

She couldn't help but chuckle. He really was adorable sometimes. "Yes, sleep over. Unless you don't want to," she added, making sure to keep her eyes on Carlos and not let them travel in the direction she felt that gaze coming from.

(It was a good thing Evie had nearly a lifetime of practice when it came to recognizing when someone was looking at her, recognizing but never giving away that she noticed.)

"I, uh. I have a lot of chores to do," Carlos muttered, averting his eyes as his cheeks turned pink.

"Oh, that's okay. Maybe some other time? Or," she continued, hoping she wasn't coming off as too eager, "you can come over once you're done?"

Carlos stared at the ground, biting his bottom lip, fidgeting a little, brow creased with the decision he had to make, and Evie felt sorry for him.

"Carlos, really, you don't have to force yourself if you don't want to come." She might want to spend time with him, might want to gossip and joke in the way all those magazines and catalogs showcased, but she didn't want to stress him out either.

"It's not that I don't want to. It's just... I've never had anywhere else to go at night," he mumbled, face red with embarrassment.

A chill tickled her spine, but Evie smiled past it, trying not to think about what his home life must be like, trying to ignore the little voice inside her head that repeated _kindred_ over and over. "Well, now you do," she said brightly as she took his hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You can come over any time you like."

Disbelief on his face, Carlos merely stared at her, an uncertain smile on his lips. "That would be okay?"

Mother would never allow it, she thought, but she gave him a smile and a little shrug. "Well... Do you know how to climb?"

Brow furrowed, he gave a hesitant nod.

"You can climb through my window. We'll do a secret code and everything, just in case my mother's in the room. It'll be like a fairytale." She sighed wistfully.

Carlos snorted, but he smiled, amused. "Except I'm no prince."

"We can pretend," she said with a wink. "You won't mind sleeping in the same bed as me, right?"

Blinking, the color drained from Carlos' face. "Um."

"We'd only sleep," Evie said firmly, trying to calm his nerves. He has every right to be skittish, but still, she thought with an inward sigh; she hadn't meant to scare him off _again_. "Well, we might talk, but that'll mostly be school related stuff."

Clearing his throat, Carlos nodded slowly. "I guess that'd be okay."

"I promise not to bore you with beauty talk," she teased, delighted when he chuckled.

"Well, it's a form of science, right?" Carlos joked back, coming to a stop when they reached the gates of the Hell Hall grounds.

Evie grinned. "Exactly." She couldn't contain herself; she might actually have a friend sleep over! Smiling, she pulled his hand close, leaning in to whisper. "This will be our secret code, okay?" Against his palm, she tapped out a sequence: two taps, pause, one tap, pause, two taps. "Knock that pattern on my window, and I'll know it's you!"

Carlos stared at his palm, a goofy smile on his face, and he nodded. "Only one problem, I don't know where your window is."

"That's easily fixed," Evie said with a wink, and she pulled out a notebook, flipping to an empty page and letting her pencil drag across it. Not bothered by Carlos' curious glance, she drew her favorite gardens and the castle wall overlooking them, drew the stones that stuck out of the wall that could be used as steps, drew the ledges that could support the weight of a teen, drew the way to her window, a path she used frequently.

"You're pretty good at that," Carlos said, bringing her out of her musing.

Evie shook her head. "Not that good. Others are a lot better." She thought of Mal's graffiti, sprayed around the school, around the bazaar, thought of the glimpses she saw of Mal's notebooks filled with ink and graphite, and as she finished her little map, the thought that Mal would always surpass her at everything entered Evie's mind. "Here," she said with a smile despite her thoughts, and she handed the paper to him. "I trust you'll keep all this a secret. Wouldn't want to open my window for anyone else, now, would I?" She winked.

Carlos glanced down, cheeks pink. "I'm pretty sure there're lots of people you'd prefer."

The expression on Carlos' face made her chest tighten. "Well, mister genius, you're wrong about that," she said, doing her best to sound sincere; she wasn't raised to be sincere, but for Carlos, she'd try. "I'd prefer your company over anyone else's."

"Only because you haven't given anyone else a shot," he mumbled, cheeks turning a shade darker.

"I'll do that when you do as well," Evie countered. Someone would have to be a fool to not notice how Carlos kept to himself, in school or anywhere else.

Carlos shrugged, half a smile on his lips. "Touché."

Laughing, Evie nudged him again. "Go do your chores. I'll listen for a knock, but I won't be upset if none come tonight."

Nodding, Carlos jogged to the front door, giving her a wave before disappearing within Hell Hall, and Evie smiled wide, a bounce in her step as she continued her way home, ignoring the eyes staring her down.

—

Night time was one of the rare moments Evie got to herself, as her mother emphasized the importance of beauty sleep, so Evie usually spent her nights curled in bed with a book, able to relax and not be so poised and proper like she had been the rest of the day. Tonight, though, she kept glancing at the window at every other paragraph, telling herself not to get her hopes up.

Which meant she nearly tumbled out of her bed when she heard knocks at her window.

Composing herself, trying to make it seem like she hadn't been waiting for a visitor, she walked to the window, calmly and gracefully despite the fact her mother was nowhere in sight, and opened the window, delighted to see Carlos perched on the castle walls. "Carlos," Evie greeted with a smile, casting a glance behind him. "Alone?"

He gave her a funny smile as he nodded. "Of course, who would I bring?" He looked over his shoulder, curious, and Evie tried not to laugh; he was dressed in what she assumed were pajamas, but they looked like he could wear them at school and no one would blink an eye — the same use of black, white, and red splattered throughout the outfit.

When he turned around to face her again, Evie shrugged, waving her hand dismissively, trying to come off as just being silly and not surprised that Jay hadn't barged in with Carlos; he'd been spying on them, after all. "Let's get you inside, come now," she said, just shy of a command, as she helped him into her room.

Once inside and the window closed, Evie felt a little self-conscious. She was only in her nightgown, which wasn't very revealing but did stop mid-thigh, and she'd never had anyone other than her mother inside her room. As she sat on her bed, Evie couldn't help but wonder what Carlos thought of her, of her room, of how she looked right now, of the whole situation.

He seemed more preoccupied with the bed, glancing at it warily as if it would attack him, as if it were all some kind of trap.

"C'mon, Carlos," Evie said as she patted the area of the bed next to her, smiling. "I won't bite."

"It's not that..." Carlos said, a small smile on his face as he shuffled his feet. "I've never had blankets or pillows," he finished, but he immediately blanched, looking at her with wide eyes. "I-I mean, yeah, I've had them, I've had so many—"

Evie threw a pillow at him, if only because she couldn't handle how panicked and embarrassed he got over his admission, and when he blinked at her, she held up another pillow, threatening to throw it. "Then I guess you've had lots of pillow fights, right?" she asked, her mind racing, trying to dissolve the situation. "I've never had them myself, but I've read about them." She waved the pillow threateningly again.

Still blinking at her, Carlos picked up the pillow and eased a little closer to the bed. "No, I've never had them either." He sat gingerly on her bed, examining the pillow. "And fighting with pillows doesn't seem very productive."

She couldn't help but laugh, relieved that Carlos no longer had that _look_ on his face. Instead, he merely sat there in quiet thought, his fingers brushing against the pillow every now and then.

Bringing up fighting, though, reminded her of why Carlos was even in her room to begin with. With a little hop, Evie left her bed and walked to her vanity, searching for a particular green container. Once she located it, she brought it back to the bed, sitting closer to Carlos. "Lift up your shirt for me?"

Eyebrow raised, Carlos stared at the container. "Why? What's that?"

"It's something for bruises," Evie answered, motioning for him to lift his shirt. "I just want to check."

Puzzled, Carlos did as told, revealing a large, darkening bruise on his left side, resting just below his ribs.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, resisting the urge to touch it. It looked painful, and Evie wondered how he climbed the castle wall with it.

Carlos shrugged. "I've had worse. What's that stuff supposed to do?" Clearly, he was more interested in the chemical property than the fact that it could help with the pain.

Evie didn't know how she felt about that. "It gets rid of the mark faster," she said anyway as she removed the cap. "It also lessens the soreness, but you have to really rub it in first."

Intrigued, Carlos gave a little nod. "Okay." He lifted his shirt higher, making sure it was out of her way, and he waited, looking at her expectantly.

Just like that, she thought, disbelieving as she dabbed some onto her fingers. "Brace yourself," she said, apologetic, and she smeared it onto the bruise, trying not to pay attention to his winces as she rubbed it into his skin, trying to get it over with so she could stop causing him pain.

Once satisfied, Evie removed her hand from Carlos' skin, surveying her work, making sure the skin was mostly dry. It should clear up over the night.

Carlos inspected her work as well, brow knitted in thought, no longer in pain now that she stopped touching him. "Where'd you get that, anyway?" He gingerly touched the bruise, testing.

"Oh," Evie said, blinking down at the container as she screwed the cap back on, "I made it."

His head shot up, eyes locking onto her in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding through her embarrassment. "My mother's old spell book has all kinds of things in it. Most of it is useless, seeing as it requires magic, but some pages still have use. It's just a little chemistry, after all." When he continued to stare at her, she continued, her nerves making her ramble. "It takes forever, though, because you need the right ingredients, and some of the things are hard to find in tact on island; what comes on the barge is usually tainted with something else, so you either learn how to carefully extract what you need or you wait it out and see if something purer comes along."

She stopped talked, gawking at Carlos; he was smiling! He was smiling in that pleased way of his, the kind he'd smiled when she identified the radiator, and just like back then, Evie didn't know what to do with that smile, with that look.

"That's amazing," he said, nodding his head a little. "I need to bring you to my treehouse. I think you'll like it. It's my lair."

"Lair?" she echoed, bewildered and curious and wary all at once.

"I don't sacrifice animals or anything, don't worry. I just need to keep all my inventions and projects away from my mother, and she never goes out into the yards." He shrugged, but he still smiled. "It's hard to find suitable parts to work with, so I know a little about making due with things versus waiting."

"How long does it take you to make things, like the radiator?" she asked, marveling at the topic of conversation; she'd never have guessed they'd be talking about this. 

"Longer than I'd like. I don't exactly get first pick over at the barge." He sighed, a frown on his face. "Working on them at school was a risk, too, because I always got beat up and sometimes they were damaged in the process, but that's stopped since, uh, the whole arrangement thing." He gave a little shrug, brow creased slightly, like he was unsure about talking about his little deal with Jay and Mal. 

Evie glanced at him, pursing her lips in thought, wondering if now was as good a time as any to bring it up, to ask him to clarify some things, like the conditions of their arrangement. "Carlos," she began, watching as he looked up at her, face open, "why did Jay react the way he did tonight?" She watched in fascination as his whole body became rigid. "Did he expect you to overpower that guy?" She didn't think that was the case, seeing as Carlos had said Jay was in it to protect Carlos, but she wanted to hear Carlos' response. 

"Well," Carlos began after swallowing, "I can be pretty quick. Jay's even compl— even told me so himself. So, I, uh, guess he expected me to use that to my advantage or something."

"That's ridiculous, and it's certainly no reason for him to get all pissy," Evie argued, filing away Carlos' slip of the tongue for later. No, something else was pissing Jay off, she thought, wondering if were possible that Carlos wouldn't know the answer either. Unless I'm missing something, she thought, trying not to let her frustration show. 

Carlos didn't really look her in the eye then, giving a half-hearted shrug as he scratched at his neck, and that's when Evie caught sight of it, of a simple silver chain.

"Carlos," she said, blinking as she reached for him, for his neck, with slow movement. "What's this?" she asked as she touched the chain, pulling it fully from under his shirt, and she had to stop herself from gasping at the red snake pendant. "You're kidding," she breathed out, her thumb swiping over the serpent.

"What?" he asked, nervous, staring at her with wide eyes.

"This is Jay's." She was certain of it. How could it not be?

"N-no, it isn't," Carlos insisted as he took the pendant out of her hand, scooting away from her. 

"Then it's _from_ Jay," she countered. It's Jay related no matter how you look at it, she thought, refraining from following him, not wanting to scare him out of her room completely.

He paled, and Evie knew he knew she wouldn't accept any other explanation. "Evie, I—"

"Carlos, you have to know what this means," she said, incredulous, her gaze alternating between the necklace and Carlos' face, Jay's attitude tonight beginning to make sense. 

Shaking his head, Carlos rambled, gesturing with his hands a little too shakily. "It's just. It's just something he gave me. N-not _for_ me. It's, it's something for _other_ people, you know? So they'll know not to mess with me. It doesn't mean anything else."

"Carlos, it means he marked you as _his_ ," Evie said slowly, and she began to piece together his arrangement with the others, began to see _why_ the arrangements had to be made in the first place.

She hadn't understood, at first, why someone like Jay would bother protecting someone like Carlos, why Jay would go against someone like _Mal_ over someone like Carlos, why someone like Mal would take someone like Carlos in for Jay. But now she knew. Jay had marked Carlos as his, and as Mal had marked Jay as hers, Carlos had become Mal's by extension. That was why she only paid attention to the two boys, that was why Jay only paid attention to Mal and Carlos; they belonged to each other.

She would never belong to them, would never have anyone to mark her as theirs, Evie realized, and she didn't know why it made her stomach sink and her throat close.

Carlos — Carlos de Vil, resilient, resourceful, boy genius — only stared at her, brow creased. "That's not... what it means."

Evie had to laugh, incredulous and borderline hysterical. "He followed us to Hell Hall," she said bluntly, unsurprised by Carlos' surprise.

"How do you—"

"I'm used to people looking at me. I'm even used to the _type_ of look. Jay was following us."

"Why would he?" Carlos asked, uncomprehending. 

"He was keeping an eye on you," Evie answered, staring out the window. "Guess he sees me as a threat now."

"You're not a threat!" Carlos said adamantly.

Evie laughed again, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "I know." She was nothing to them, and she accepted it now. "So. Does this change how you feel about asking Jay?" she asked before he had a chance to speak again. 

Blinking at the change in topic, Carlos tilted his head. "Asking what?"

"To have sex with you," she clarified. 

Color bloomed on his cheeks, and he shook his head harshly. "I'm not asking him!" 

"Carlos, ask him, nothing bad will happen," she said, now more convinced than ever Jay would agree. She didn't understand why Carlos couldn't see it, too. "And if something bad _does_ happen, he'll have to deal with me." 

He looked at her skeptically. 

"He's just a guy," Evie said, waving the matter away. She knew how to deal with boys and men, wasn't afraid of them like she used to be, was more than ready to use her scissors. Mal, on the other hand, was a new breed of terrifying, but she didn't need to tell Carlos that. "Look," she began, getting a little annoyed at how Carlos looked at her like she was crazy, "just say you'll pay attention, really pay attention, in school tomorrow. Just watch how Jay acts and reacts. You're a scientist, right? Observe!" At his wide-eyed nod, Evie huffed, mollified only a little. "Then you can decide to ask him." 

Groaning, Carlos leaned forward and planted his face into the pillow. He mumbled something, the pillow muffling his words. 

"What was that?" 

Turning his face, Carlos repeated himself. "Why are you hooked on this?" 

"Because it's the better option between random schoolmates and brutish men," Evie said simply, getting off the bed put the container back on her vanity. She still had no idea why Carlos would _want_ to do it again, after what had happened to him, but she figured that asking Jay really would be the better option, seeing as he knew Carlos' history. Why can't he see that, she thought. 

She glanced at Carlos, amused and not that he hadn't moved from his spot, lost in his thoughts. Best get to sleep then, she thought as she returned to the bed. Pulling the covers back, Evie got beneath them, patting the other side of the bed. "Time to sleep," she said as she lay down.

Wary all over again, Carlos sat up, staring at the side of the bed he would occupy. He scooted a little closer but still didn't get _in_. 

"Despite what you may think, I actually did invite you over to sleep," Evie said, chest tightening as she watched him inspect the covers, the pillows. "Though, I guess I won't blame you if you think sharing a bed with a girl is gross or something." She smiled for him, it turning genuine when he rolled his eyes. 

"Funny," he said as he finally got in, gingerly as his movements were, and he blinked when Evie pulled the covers over them. He didn't move for a long moment, simply lying how he had fallen on the bed, but he slowly shifted, bouncing a little, and Evie realized he was getting a feel for the bed. 

She had to rearrange herself to keep her stomach steady. 

"So your mom won't mind me in here?" Carlos asked once he got settled under the covers, letting out a little sigh as he stared up at the canopy.

"Well, actually, she'll probably be furious," Evie answered honestly, "but I've always wanted company." She turned over on her right side so she could face Carlos, giving him a smile as she tucked her hands under her cheek.

Carlos moved his head, facing her without fully turning his body, and returned her smile, as tentative as it was. "Don't worry. I'm a light sleeper, so I'll hide if she happens to come during the night. You won't get in trouble." He nodded a little, as if trying to reassure her that he'd come through for her.

It was such a sweet gesture, such a genuine thing the likes of which had never been offered to her before, that Evie moved before she could think better of it, slow and careful so as not to startle him, and she gently placed a kiss on his forehead, her fingers combing through his hair.

When she pulled away, she found Carlos staring at her with wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape. "What was that for?" he whispered, and his hand twitched, almost like he wanted to touch the skin she'd kissed.

Keeping her voice light, Evie gave him a half-hearted shrug. "I've read about that happening at sleepovers, and I wanted to try it. Can... Can you do me?" She didn't think she managed to keep the hopefulness out of her voice, but she had tried. 

Biting his lip, Carlos moved, just as slow and measured as she had, kissing her forehead with such a feather-light touch that Evie wasn't sure if he really had. He pulled back, his cheeks tinted pink as he studied her face, uncertain.

Evie gave him a smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Carlos said, a quirk to the corner of his lips despite how uncertain he still looked. He lay back down, this time facing her fully, and he stared at her, like he was looking at her in a new light. 

"Rest well," she said because she couldn't take his gaze for so long, still not used to how it was so different from any she'd ever received. 

"You too," he said, a little softer, and he turned around, shifting some until he stilled in comfort. 

Normally, it took Evie a while to fall asleep, her head too full with the echoes of her mother's words of the day, but tonight, she found herself drowsy, found herself drifting off more easily than she'd ever had, the sight of Carlos' back the last thing she saw before sleep took her. 

She would never belong in his circle, in his world, and Evie accepted that, but that didn't mean she would stop hanging around Carlos. 

She could linger on the outskirts of Carlos' space, take whatever attention he decided to give. 

It would be enough, had to be enough.

And it would have been, if someone hadn't decided on interfering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from Wicked Witch of the Ease from Wicked. (I could've gone for the more obvious lyric of "just the girl in the mirror" but decided Evie's had enough of mirrors for the moment, heh.)
> 
> Also, just for the record, while I think both Sofia and Dove are pretty, it's my personal opinion that Sofia is more beautiful. But, well, Evie has self-perception issues. Expect another long chapter for the next update, and again, I want to stress that readers should heed the Explicit rating and **Archive Warnings** for chapter four. It's going to be a bumpy ride. (This time, I promise.)


	4. As long as you're mine (no matter where life leads us)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They lived on the island. They shouldn't have forgotten the number one rule: good things never last and bad things never die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, another huge **thank you** to everyone who commented and left kudos. I'm left speechless and awkward by all y'all's loveliness  <3 [And I'm probably gonna have to stop saying when I plan to update because life never lets me upload something when I say I'm going to, forgive me!]
> 
> Secondly, as I've seen some commenters express their excitement to see Jay and Carlos get together either romantically or sexually, I just want to put it out there that I am a HUGE multi-shipper as well as a HUGE supporter of polyamory, and this is most definitely a multi-ship/polyamorous story, hence the ship tags I've used. I'm a big believer of "ship and let ship," so if I see anything negative about a certain ship, I will probably delete the comment. I don't like policing comments and certainly won't delete anyone's opinion. In fact, I've already had commenters say Jay/Carlos wasn't their cup of tea, and that's totally okay! Because they were respectful when voicing their opinion/preference. It's when the comments become things like "you should feel bad for liking Pairing AZ!" or "Character X is only supposed to be with Character B!" that I'll delete. It is not your or my place to dictate who should like what, and as nothing is _truly_ set in canon, and as no one has to _follow_ what is set in canon, that negativity won't be tolerated here.
> 
> Thirdly, just as an fyi, while I love Chenoweth, an intimidating, evil Maleficent she did not make [well, to me anyway, heh]. Which is why I've added the Canon Divergence tag, as Maleficent will be written a bit differently than how she was portrayed in the film, particularly in the coronation scene. She won't be that likable in this story. Which brings us to my next point...
> 
>  **There is rape in this chapter.** Once again, I've tried not to make it too graphic, but as that's a definition that varies, if you don't think you can handle it, once you hit Mal's POV, **avoid italics within parentheses.** After those parentheses, the aftermath is described/talked about, so be cautious of that as well. There is also unrelated consenting underage sex (youngest character is 13 and the oldest is 15), so if that makes you uncomfortable, take heed, especially since, as I've said before, all sexual activity could be construed as dubious consent because of how characters were treated by life on the island. Note the new tags! And if I need to tag for something I've overlooked, please tell me so!
> 
> Unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own! Also, this is the longest chapter to date [I'm almost cry because this fic only has four posted chapters and it's already over 57k, _how_ did this happen got damn]. This should be the last long-ass chapter; the rest should be medium-ass chapters, darn it!

Despite having slept the best she'd ever had, Evie awoke bright and early, a habit ingrained in her since she was young, and she stretched as she blinked awake, turning over, wondering if she could squeeze in five more minutes before her mother hollered for her. Only, when she turned, she felt someone next to her, and Evie's eyes opened in shock, hand raised and ready to strike her assailant.

Until she remembered Carlos had spent the night.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Evie waited for her heartbeat to slow down, let the adrenaline spike leave her system, before she sat up, studying the boy next to her.

Carlos was curled up in her covers, practically burrowed in them, expression smoothed out in sleep, making him seem so _young_ , younger than his actual age, and Evie couldn't help but smile. She almost didn't want to wake him, but she knew she had to, what with her mother's morning inspection coming up.

"Carlos," Evie called gently, placing her hand lightly on his shoulder in attempt to wake him up. When that did nothing, she gave him a gentle shake. "Carlos."

Eyes snapping open, Carlos jumped back, flinging the covers off of him, gaze wildly scanning the room, and he gave a small yelp as he nearly fell off the bed in his flailing, saved from landing on the hard stone by Evie's grip on his wrists.

"Carlos, are you okay?" Evie asked, alarmed, as she helped him sit up.

"Yeah, no, yeah, I'm fine. Just. You kinda startled me." Carlos' cheeks began to turn red. He sat still, rubbing the back of his neck, sheepish.

"So much for being a light sleeper," she said, tone teasing, and she smiled wider when his blush deepened. "It's morning, so time to get up." She hopped off the bed, stretching her arms high above her head. It really had been a long while since she slept that soundly.

Nose scrunching, Carlos followed her off the bed. "What time is it?" He stretched, too, bending over to touch his toes, and Evie held back a smile.

"Almost six," she answered as she sat down at her vanity, taking a breath as she readied herself for her morning routine.

"Oh wow," Carlos said, surprised as he righted himself, "I'm never up this late." He hopped back on the bed, tilting his head as he watched her organize containers and brushes.

"Six in the morning is late?" Evie asked, raising her eyebrow as she looked at him in the mirror.

Cheeks turning pink, Carlos only shrugged. "I have a lot of things to do in the morning." He glanced at the window before scooting to the edge of the bed. "Speaking of which..." He shrugged a little, getting off the bed, shuffling his feet but not moving to the window, and he cleared his throat. "So, yeah, last night was... fun?"

Evie chuckled. "Like I said, you can come over anytime." She turned to face him, smiling. "But give me some warning if you decide to bring anyone else." Evie winked at him.

Carlos rolled his eyes, but a blush had settled on his cheeks again. "Funny." He gave one last look to the bed, a look that had Evie's chest tightening, before he waved. "See you at school."

"Oh, wait," Evie said, struck with a brilliant idea. She got up and walked to her bed, bending low so she could pull out the chest beneath it. Carlos had come closer, curious, so when she pulled out a blanket, just as fluffy as the one on her bed, he raised an eyebrow.

"Here, take these with you," she said, offering him the blanket and the pillow tucked away underneath it.

"Why...?" he asked, gaze falling from her to the bedding.

My thanks for everything so far, she thought as she watched him blink at her. "They're unfit for a princess," she recited instead, even though she never heard her mother utter those words regarding them. "I've been meaning to throw them out, but if you want them, help yourself." Truthfully, they were for the winter months, when the drafty castle got particularly drafty, but she figured there were other ways to keep warm; she could part with them if it meant Carlos finally had some of his own.

Several emotions crossed Carlos' face, much too fast for Evie to properly get a read on them, but a small smile settled on his lips as he nodded. "Okay. I'll take them." He wrapped the pillow in the blanket before wrapping the blanket around his neck, tying the ends together to form a makeshift backpack.

Evie tried not to beam. "See you in, let's say, an hour?"

"Yeah, see you out there." With another small wave, Carlos disappeared out of her window, and Evie smiled to herself, giddy as she danced back to her vanity.

—

"Don't look now," Evie whispered, pulling Carlos closer, "but a certain someone is following us."

They had met in front of the de Vil gates like they said they would, and Evie had linked her arm with Carlos as they began the trek to school, which is how they stayed even as the gates of Dragon Hall came upon them.

At her words, Carlos held himself straighter, and Evie could tell he was restraining himself from looking behind them. "How can you tell?" he asked.

"I told you: I'm used to feeling stares," she replied. "Honestly, how can you not feel that? It feels like he's trying to set me on fire."

"No way," he said, frowning slightly.

"Yes way," Evie said, impatient. "I don't think I should hang around you much today," she continued, giving it some thought. "I don't want to mess up anything for you." Reluctantly, she released his arm.

"You're _wrong_ ," Carlos said, a little too loudly for Evie's comfort, and he grabbed her hand, surprising her. "You're not gonna mess anything up."

Smiling, Evie nodded. "Fine, but I do have to let you go to your first class. After all, you don't need me to escort you." She batted her eyelashes at him, laughing when he rolled his eyes.

"Okay, okay, see you in fifth," he said, but he paused, giving her a considering look, "unless lunch?"

She shook her head, apologetic. "Better do lunch separately." Jay would definitely be out for me if we ate together, especially since Carlos said he doesn't eat with anyone, she thought as she gave a little wave to Carlos as they went their separate ways. Sure enough, she no longer felt Jay's heated gaze now that she wasn't near Carlos.

Boys, she thought with a shake of her head. They were idiots.

—

The day had been painfully dull, the only excitement being running into Jay in the hallway. (She had checked her pockets afterward. And her neck and fingers and bag and makeup box.) He hadn't said anything, merely looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and he was off before she could say anything. Evie wondered if Carlos had any other classes with Jay, if they had spoken about last night and this morning, but she knew she wouldn't find out any answers until after lunch.

So with that in mind, she left the dining hall before the bell had the chance to drone, intent to get to class early so she could talk with Carlos and find out if anything happened.

"Got a minute?"

Evie stopped, glancing at Cortor, at the way he loomed, his bearing broadcasting that he wouldn't take no for an answer. She gave it to him anyway. "Why would I talk to you?"

"What you think you're pulling, _highness_?" he asked, stepping closer, crowding her against the lockers. He wasn't overly muscular, not like the Gastons, not like Jay, but he did have them, and he was tall.

"I don't know what you mean," she said, her hand slipping into her bag, her fingers curling around her scissors.

Scoffing, Cortor leered. "I mean you interrupting my time with the de Vil brat. I was getting good head before you waltzed right in."

"I seem to recall you running scared when I stopped you," Evie said, smiling sweetly, despite how she wanted to claw his eyes out. She didn't flinch as he embedded his fist in the lockers right beside her head, but it was close.

"Here's what I'm thinking," he said, eyes dark and expression fierce, "you make it up to me with your own mouth, and I'll go easy on the brat next time I fuck his face."

Blood quickening with growing anger, Evie narrowed her eyes. "If you think Mal and Jay—"

Cortor actually laughed, pushing himself off the lockers but still crowding Evie's space. "You think those two will help you?"

"Of course they won't. I'm nothing to them," Evie said, and it surprisingly didn't bother her right now, seeing as how she felt nothing but loathing toward the boy in front of her. "But if you touch Carlos again, it'll be more than my anger that you'll have to deal with."

Cortor scoffed. "As if they'd make any fuss over that little slut. He's probably their little fucktoy. Bet he _likes_ it, too. Bet he fucking moans for it."

Blood boiling, Evie acted without thinking, brought her hand up, swift and calculated, and cut Cortor across the cheek with her scissors, just narrowly missing his eye, kicking him back as he hollered. "Don't you ever speak like that about him again," she all but snarled, "or I'll give you more than just a cut." Glaring, she began to walk away.

Cortor's grip on her arm stopped her.

"You little bitch!" He pulled her back, slammed Evie into the lockers, knocking the scissors out of her hand with the force of the impact, and his hands closed around her throat, his expression twisted into a concoction of anger and hate as he bared his teeth. "I'll teach you a lesson, just like I'll teach the little slut."

Eyes watering, Evie held onto his wrists, trying in vain to break his grip, trying to kick any place available, trying to take him down because he said he was going to go after Carlos, but she could feel herself losing the fight, feel herself losing energy even as she dug her nails into his skin, drawing blood.

"Hey," came a call, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze.

Cortor turned, his grip loosening only a fraction, and Evie was able to see Mal walking toward them, face nearly blank save for the slight crease in her brow.

This is it... this is how I die, Evie thought, struggling to keep conscious, and somehow, she couldn't fault Mal for striking her down; at least the last sight she'd see would be something beautiful: Mal's beautiful wrath.

"What do you want?" he asked her.

Mal fixed her stare on him. "Release her," she said, voice quiet but commanding.

Nothing happened for a long second, then Cortor laughed, cruel and mocking. "You're not tough shit, shortie," he said as he tightened his hold, causing Evie to whine as what little breath she had left was squeezed out of her. "You have no power."

"I have power of persuasion," Mal said, narrowing her eyes, taking a step closer, voice still quiet. "Either release her, or never walk again."

He chuckled, letting Evie go, letting her fall to the ground with a graceless _thud_ and undignified gasping. "You gonna take me on?" he asked Mal as he cracked his knuckles.

Evie saw Mal smile, dark and menacing, and she felt dizzy and breathless for a different reason.

"Jay," Mal said, and Evie barely had time to process the word before Jay was there, before he was delivering three swift punches to Cortor's face, delivered harsh kicks to his legs, and then Cortor was falling to the floor, face bloodied, one leg bent the wrong way.

Jay stood over him, gloved hands balled into fists, and he sneered at Cortor. "Your old man couldn't even take care of a bunch of gorillas." He bent down, grabbed a fistful of Cortor's hair, and pulled him up by it. "What makes you think you can take me on?"

Cortor spat blood at Jay. "That piece of ass of yours must really be something," he growled out, and Evie thought he was too big for his britches, thought the pain he was trying to suppress wasn't enough.

He needed a more permanent lesson.

Grabbing her scissors and her bag, Evie made her way to the boys, trying to be steady on her feet. "What did I tell you about talking about Carlos that way," she said as she held the scissors to his throat, perfectly bared thanks to Jay's grip on his hair. "Do it again, and I'd give you more than cut." She reached into her purse, pulled out a little vial she took from weird science, and poured its contents on Cortor's good leg.

He screamed as the acid burned away the fabric of his pants, as it burned his flesh, and Evie watched in satisfaction.

"That's my little lesson to you," she spat out, standing straight as she glared at him. "See that you remember it." She stepped away, leaving him to Jay and Mal now that she got out her frustrations, trying not to rub her throat, trying to restrain herself from taking out her mirror to see how he marred her skin.

Jay glanced at her, expression unreadable, before he turned to Mal, eyebrow raised. Mal walked toward them, brandishing a knife from somewhere, and Evie watched as she looked over Cortor, pressing the knife against his skin as she fixed him with that intense, unblinking gaze.

"Your dad was a third-rate villain," Mal said, voice cold and hard, knife near the cut Evie had made, "and you're not even half of that. I ever hear about you touching my things again, I will kill you. Slowly." With that, she gave him another cut, right along Evie's, before she left him, left them all, in the hallway as the bell finally droned.

Jay let go of Cortor's hair with a sneer, wiped his bloody gloves off on Cortor's shirt, and turned, following Mal, not looking back as he rolled his shoulders, his hands in his pockets.

Biting her lip, Evie followed them as well, taking care to be cautious but not sneaking. They weren't heading in the direction of her next class, but she didn't know if she wanted to see Carlos like this; she could only imagine how she must look.

She stopped short, though, when she realized the other two had stopped walking and had turned around to stare at her.

Swallowing, Evie took a small breath. "Why did you help me?" she asked quietly, knowing that she was pushing her luck but unable to hold the question back.

They continued to stare at her as if she were missing something — and in all fairness, she probably was, considering she had almost just passed out from oxygen deprivation.

"Ask Jay," was all Mal said, giving her a once over before walking away.

Evie blinked after her, confused. She turned to Jay.

"Ask Carlos," Jay said with a grin. "Aren't you late for class, nerd?" He winked and took off as well.

Evie stood in the hallway as it filled with her peers, feeling lost but also... anticipation.

—

"Evie," Carlos all but gasped when he sat down, eyes locked on her neck, "what happened?"

"Cortor," she said as nonchalantly as she could. She'd been dreading the minute Carlos showed up, and she'd been fighting herself to keep her mirror in its place in her makeup box. "Honestly," she continued, unable to handle his concerned stare any longer, "I don't know why you picked _him_." The memory of what Cortor said made her shudder.

Carlos blinked, and his cheeks began to turn red. "I... I might have been a little, uh, misleading when I said I asked him," he muttered, averting his eyes.

Evie's eyes widened. "Carlos!"

"I'll deal with it," he said quickly, holding his hands up.

She wanted to laugh, but she refrained; no one needed to hear her cackle like a witch, and that was exactly what she'd do, she felt so hysterical. "You don't have to deal with anything. I'll be surprised if he causes any more trouble," she said, matter-of-fact.

"What do you mean?" Carlos asked, wary.

"Mal and Jay took care of him," she answered. Now that she thought about it, Mal had promised Cortor that he wouldn't walk again, and after what Jay and Evie did to his legs, Evie had to wonder if Mal's promise would come true.

The color drained from Carlos' face. "They _know_?"

Apologetic, Evie nodded. "I assume. Mal warned him if he ever touched something of hers again, she'll kill him." And as you're the only one that's hers that he touched... she thought, trying not to let it get to her. How Mal found out, Evie didn't know. Maybe Mal actually could wield magic; it'd explain how she knew, explain her promise to Cortor, explain her very eyes.

Carlos paled even more, staring at his notebook with faraway eyes.

Oh no, she thought, trying to think of something to take his mind off of his troubles, cursing the fact that the professor entered the room. She couldn't do anything here. Mind made up as she gathered their things, Evie pulled Carlos up, practically dragged him toward the door, turning on her charm and smiling at their professor as she rattled off some excuse, easily walking out the room without fuss.

She walked him to a little-used corner in the hallway, let him rest against the lockers as she placed their things on the floor. "Carlos, look at me," Evie said gently, her hands cupping his cheeks. "It's going to be fine."

He blinked at her. "They know," he whispered, his eyes dim.

"They know about the other times," she said, trying not to wince, trying not to think about it, "and they still entered an arrangement with you."

"But I asked for it this time," he whispered, shaking his head.

 _What._ He said he hadn't; why does he keep changing his answer! she thought, frustrated and worried. "Tell me the truth," she said as gently as she could while still being firm. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Carlos closed his eyes and took a breath. "He said if you could hang around me, so could everyone else. Gave me two choices: meeting him or letting you meet him. So I met with him." He kept his eyes closed.

Evie froze. "You went to meet him because of _me_?" she asked, feeling sick as she dropped her hands. "Carlos, why..." Why should he subject himself to that for her sake?

Shrugging, Carlos averted his eyes. "I'm used to that kind of stuff happening..."

And for a moment, all Evie saw was red, all she thought of was _murder_ , but she shook her head, taking a deep breath to clear it. "I should have poured more acid on him," she spat out.

Blinking, he stared at her with a creased brow. "Wait, what?"

"I poured acid on him," Evie repeated, wishing she could do it again, wishing she could do more. "More specifically, on his leg."

"You did?" Carlos asked, eyes wide.

"Oh yeah," Jay said, startling them both, "you should have seen her, wielding scissors and vials of acid." He grinned, leaning against the lockers as he studied them. "I think even Mal was impressed."

Evie felt the heat spread across her cheeks. "Don't sweet talk me, mister," she said, despite the _flutter_ in her stomach at the thought of impressing Mal.

Jay grinned wider.

"Why aren't you in class?" Carlos asked quietly, fidgeting.

"Why aren't you?" Jay returned, raising an eyebrow. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were serious as they roamed over Carlos, inspecting.

"I dragged him out," Evie said, moving a little between them. "Got a problem?"

"Depends," Jay said slowly, grinning again. "Do you have any more acid in your possession?"

"If I had any left, it'd all go on Cortor," Evie said simply, seething just thinking about the guy.

Jay's grin turned into a smirk, and he nodded his head a little, as if he approved of the answer. "Then, no, no problems here. Do have another question for you, though."

"I'm sure I'll love it," she said, bracing herself.

"You like Carlos, right?" he asked, gazing at her with his dark brown eyes, gazing at her like he knew the answer. "Wanna nerd out together and shit, right?" 

"I believe that's two questions," Evie said, defensive, unsure how to answer.

Jay merely shrugged. He nodded at Carlos. "Carlos, you wanna nerd out with her and shit, right?"

Glancing at Carlos, Evie waited on his answer, holding her breath.

Swallowing, Carlos nodded, looking at Jay despite his fidgeting.

Turning back to her, Jay raised an expectant eyebrow. "What about you, princess?"

"Yes, I wanna 'nerd out and shit' with him," Evie answered, raising her own eyebrow, challenging.

Grinning wide, Jay nodded, fishing something from his pocket. "Then here, you'll need this." He took her hand and slipped a red and gold band onto her middle finger. "I'm gonna need it back after, though." He winked at her.

Stunned, and more than a little confused, Evie glanced at Carlos, glad to find him equally confused. "After what?" she asked, trying to figure out how Jay's mind worked.

Chuckling, Jay gave a half-hearted salute. "Wouldn't want to spoil the fun, now, would we, princess," he practically sing-songed, pushing off the lockers right as the bell droned, leaving them bewildered in the hallway, Carlos staring after Jay and Evie staring at her finger.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Evie said after a moment. She checked herself, checked her bag, and looked at Carlos, puzzled. "He didn't even try to steal anything from me."

Carlos shrugged, blinking in his confusion, and picked up his own bag. "Let's head to class."

Biting her bottom lip, she watched him carefully, worried how he was more quiet than usual. "Will you be okay?"

"I have to face Mal eventually," he muttered, holding the strap to his bag tighter.

"You did nothing wrong, Carlos," Evie said adamantly, not liking his expression and loathing Cortor all the more. When he didn't really respond to her, she gently nudged Carlos. "C'mon, we better hurry. Wouldn't want to upstage Mal by arriving later than her." Offering him a smile, Evie waited for him to move before making the short trek to Horrible Histories.

Maybe I'll suggest another sleepover, she thought as she glanced at Carlos, taking in his frown, the way he hunched his shoulders; he was never this silent on their way to class, and it made her uneasy.

They entered the classroom and immediately took in the different atmosphere. Mal was already there, seated in her usual front row corner desk, eyes locked on the door as she propped her chin on her fist, her other hand resting on the desk, her fingers lightly tapping its surface. Their peers sat in frightened silence.

Evie froze, staring at Mal staring at her. Those green eyes flickered down, focused on her hands, and Evie's heart raced, realizing that Mal was looking at the ring Jay had given her. Out of the corner of her eye, Evie saw Carlos stiffen; he'd notice as well.

"Lose something?" Mal asked quietly, causing half the class to stare in horror and the other half to actually shudder.

"Um," Evie said intelligently, unsure what answer would save her from Mal's wrath, but she couldn't think, once again taken in by Mal's intense gaze.

Quirking an eyebrow, Mal lifted her head so she could open her hand, letting a necklace dangle from her fingers, a necklace with a crowned heart pendant.

Evie could only stare, stunned, and it wasn't until Mal's eyes began to narrow that she snapped into action, moving to tentatively retrieve her necklace. "Sorry," she mumbled, cursing her lack of confidence as she held the pendant close to her chest.

"If you lose it again, I won't be so generous," was all Mal said to her, and Evie found herself nodding, watching as Mal turned to the frightened class. "Darla," Mal said, addressing a lanky girl with unruly brown hair; the girl sat a little straighter, eyes wide as Mal continued. "What do you think of the bruises on this little princess here?" 

Darla opened her mouth, but it was clear she had no words, had no idea how to respond, her eyes darting to Evie's neck.

"No thoughts?" Mal asked, eyes narrowing, making the girl tremble. "Well, your cousin had some thoughts. I wish him well in his recovery. If it ever occurs." Her gaze could pierce the hardest of armors, and Darla sank in her chair, swallowing. Mal glanced at the rest of the class. "Anyone else have any thoughts about touching my things?"

Everyone frantically shook their heads.

Evie felt like she was being strangled all over again, unable to process anything. Had Mal just claimed her? Her chest tightened as a kind of uneasy feeling, different from any other she'd felt, settled in her stomach. If it weren't for Carlos giving her a subtle push, she probably would have stood right there the whole class period, staring at Mal with wonder.

She didn't remember anything about the class or the lecture, hardly remembered walking to Preparation and Scheming. Evie kept replaying Mal's words in her head, kept clutching her necklace close to her chest. Did she truly belong to Mal now? Had she been accepted into their world?

"Hey, princess," Jay nearly purred, knocking her back into reality. "I believe you have something of mine."

Evie blinked, realizing where she was. "You're not going to just steal it back?" she asked, blinking again as he leaned against her and Carlos' table.

"I only steal what isn't mine." Jay smiled, flirty and secretive.

She took off the ring, ready to hand it back, but she paused, staring at the red and gold band as his words settled in her mind. Had Jay just implied she was _his_ as well? "Wait, that's why you gave me this?" she whispered, glancing at their classmates. No one had turned around, but they all had ears; she didn't know if speaking so openly about the arrangement was a wise idea.

"Don't know what you mean," Jay said pleasantly, plucking the ring from her fingers and tucking it away. "But man, are the hallways buzzing with talk." He grinned, hopping on their table and roughly ruffling Carlos' hair.

"Isn't that always the case?" Carlos asked, cheeks turning pink, causing Evie to raise her eyebrow.

"Mal gets all the credit, as usual," Jay continued as if he never heard Carlos, but his smirk told otherwise. In fact, he ruffled Carlos' hair again, more gently this time, before hopping of the table and sitting at his own.

"Carlos?" Evie asked, voice low once Jay had settled in his chair.

"Welcome back," he said, trying to smile for her.

"I don't usually space like that," she said, apologetic, but then she shook her head slightly and continued, curiosity burning, "but never mind that, do you know what's going on?"

"Well... I have an idea?" Carlos offered, but he seemed uncertain, almost disbelieving. He opened his mouth to elaborate, but his eyes flickered to the door and stayed there. He swallowed.

Despite knowing what she'd find, Evie let her gaze travel to the door as well, and sure enough, Mal was walking toward the table she shared with Jay. Evie's heart sped up. She had just gotten it together, but now that Mal had entered the room, now that she was sitting only a few spaces away, Evie felt her chest tighten, her stomach flutter. She really didn't know what to do, how to handle the situation; she still couldn't believe it.

Luckily, Carlos was beside her, and his presence gave her a little peace of mind, gave her a little shield to hide behind while class began. Because of him, if she concentrated just a little, she could pay attention to the lecture without any wandering thoughts, so she made that her goal, taking maybe more notes than needed.

So intent on her focus that the final bell drone startled her, but Evie was glad to be able to leave. She closed her notebook, ready to head home to take care of the bruises, but Carlos' hand on her thigh made her pause, raising an eyebrow at him. He shrugged, subtly nodding to Mal and Jay's table, and she noticed how they were still seated, all but lounging as they watched their classmates leave.

Curious, and also nervous, Evie stayed put, waiting with Carlos until everyone else had left, waiting to see what would happen with just the four of them alone in a room, her heart beating fast as the last of their peers walked out.

Jay got up and sauntered to the door, closing it before turning to them, a grin in place as he returned to their tables, a glint to his eyes that was much more mischievous than she'd ever noticed.

"Is this where you kill me?" Evie asked, transfixed by Jay's confident stride.

Mal snorted. "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have claimed you." She grabbed the end of the table and pulled herself up, those glass green eyes so clear, so intense.

Evie's heart skipped a beat. She _had_ been claimed.

"Man, wish I could've been there. It was all the talk of the halls," Jay said as he stood next to Mal, nudging her with his shoulder. "Got a way with words, Mal." He grinned as Mal raised her eyebrow.

"Why me?" Evie asked, voice barely above a whisper. She hadn't really meant to ask it out loud, but it couldn't be helped; she felt a sort of wistfulness when she saw how casually Jay touched Mal, how comfortable and confident he was with himself, with his relationship with Mal.

Mal leveled her a flat look. "Ask Jay," she said, echoing her earlier answer.

"Ask Carlos," Jay said without missing a beat, amused.

"But, I..." Carlos let his words trail, gaze downcast now that everyone's attention was on him.

"You wanted to nerd out and shit with her, right?" Jay asked him, eyebrow raised. "Seeing as she wanted the same thing, we thought it'd be better to add her to our little arrangement."

"Just keep me as uninvolved as possible," Mal said, rolling her eyes. Her gaze then settled on Evie. "Though, I'm interested to hear more about this bruise cream of yours."

"O-oh, you've heard about that," Evie said, embarrassed again — but also... proud that she could be of any interest to Mal.

"Heard about a lot of things," Jay said, and he gave her a considering look, no amusement in his features. He didn't have that dangerous seriousness about him, though, so Evie figured she wasn't in any trouble.

Instead, she focused on Carlos, who ducked his head, and she felt bad for him. "I'm not surprised," she said honestly, trying to be reassuring. She had been on her way to gossip with Carlos before Cortor interrupted her, after all, because, really, Evie hadn't expected Carlos to keep anything from Jay; she supposed Jay keeping things from Mal wasn't a regular occurrence either.

"And _you've_ heard a lot of things," Mal said, staring at her, glancing briefly at Carlos, which only made him duck his head lower.

The way Mal and Jay stood before them, Jay with his arms crossed and Mal with one hand on her hip, both of them staring down at Evie and Carlos in their chairs, made it seem like they were professors, made it seem like Evie and Carlos were in trouble and under interrogation.

"Well, I sort of pestered Carlos about some things," Evie conceded, wondering if she should be so bold. "I mean, it wasn't hard to figure out that _some_ thing was going on with him."

Mal only shrugged. "Means my plan is working, so I don't care." Annoyed, she glared at Jay. "Jay's the one who deals with the majority of the idiots anyway."

Jay only grinned at her annoyance.

"Speaking of idiots," Mal said, turning to Carlos, distaste in her tone, "let's discuss Cortor."

Evie watched all humor leave Jay's features in an instant, watched Carlos stiffen to an uncomfortable degree. Oh no, I won't allow it, she thought as she placed a hand on Carlos' shoulder. "That's all my fault, actually."

"Evie," Carlos began but stopped when Mal raised her hand.

"Go on," Mal said to Evie.

Taking a breath, Evie spoke. "Well, because I was—"

"It was my choice," Carlos cut in as he stood up, eyes wide in his boldness as all three turned to him.

"No, it wasn't!" Evie said, standing as well so she could hold both of his shoulders, Mal and Jay be damned. "An ultimatum isn't a choice, Carlos!"

"It _is_ a choice," Carlos insisted, brow creasing. "You're given two options, and you choose. I chose to go to him."

"It's _not_ the same thing as _willingly_ choosing to go," Evie said, adamant as much as frustrated. "You didn't want it to happen! I saw your _face_ ," she reminded him, cutting off whatever rebuttal he had planned.

"Enough," Mal said, raising her voice slightly, and Evie startled, moving away from Carlos. "Tell me what happened."

Carlos swallowed. "I—"

"Not you," Mal said, eyes on Evie. "Princess here. Saw his face, you said?"

"I noticed Cortor going into the girl's bathroom, so I followed him. Then I found him," she paused, trying to rein in her anger, "I found him _using_ Carlos, using his mouth, so I intervened." Her blood boiled just thinking about it.

Mal studied her for a long moment before turning her attention on Carlos. "And why were you there?"

Carlos took a breath. "He told me that since Evie was hanging around me others could hang around me, too. He, uh, he said that we should get together for a little fun. When I didn't answer, he gave me the choice of meeting him or letting him meet Evie, so I-I met with him."

Mal studied him, too. "How many times?"

"Just that once," Carlos answered, glancing at Evie. "Evie kept too close for his liking, I guess."

Evie nodded, feeling vindicated as she glanced at the others. She paused, though, when she noticed how quiet Jay was, how blank his expression was, how his jaw flexed. He looked ready to snap from how rigid his posture was, and seeing as Carlos was avoiding looking in Jay's direction, Evie felt the need to diffuse the situation somehow. "I should've taken more acid from the labs," she said, the first thing that came to her mind.

The other three blinked at her.

"What?" she asked, defensive.

Jay, thankfully, was the one who broke the silence, with a snort, no less. "Gotta admit, didn't think you had it in you."

Eyebrow raised, Evie put her hands on her hips. "I did tell you it was a mistake to think I'm just a little princess." She gave an imitation of the curtsies her mother showed her, smiling when Jay smirked.

Mal scoffed. "Well, you do a piss-poor job of protecting yourself or Carlos on your own. Might as well just be a little princess."

The words cut right into her confidence, and Evie looked down, feeling all her words leaving her, knowing that Mal spoke the truth. She couldn't protect Carlos like Jay could, couldn't instill fear like Mal could. Why would they claim her as theirs?

"She's not that bad, Mal," Jay said with a roll of his eyes. "Got a pretty sweet knack of stabbing and cutting, that's for sure." He winked her, brief and nearly solemn, but it made her hold head a little higher.

"Not to mention _acid_ ," Carlos said quietly. "Why did you even have that?"

"Oh," Evie said, paling slightly. She'd completely forgotten. "My mother needs it."

"For what?" Jay asked, arms crossed.

She swallowed, shrugging a little. "Just for, you know, some beauty remedies."

"Beauty remedies," Mal echoed, blinking at her. "You can't be serious."

"How does acid go into beauty?" Carlos asked, nose scrunching up.

"I-if you know how to handle it, what to mix with it, it can get rid of things," she said, her hand going to her left elbow on reflex, rubbing the scar that had been long faded. "And even if it burns you, there are ways to help the skin recover, you know, i-if you have the patience."

As the others stared at her, Evie felt herself fidget, and she scolded herself for not being poised enough, for letting her nerves show. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I need to go get some more before heading back."

"Say no more," Jay said quietly as he produced the vial she had dropped next to Cortor, already filled nearly to the brim, offering it to her.

She took it, stunned. "How...?"

"I can read, you know," Jay said, amused, gesturing to the vial's label.

"I've had enough of this," Mal said, rolling her eyes. "Point of the matter is you're mine now," she continued, pointing a finger at Evie. "If someone thinks they can touch you and Jay isn't around to intervene, tell me." She stared down both Evie and Carlos, Carlos trying to make himself as small as he could. "I'm not letting my reputation take a hit because _you_ think you can, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Evie murmured quietly, stomach sinking, and she knew how Carlos felt; making herself small as possible seemed ideal, but Evie couldn't do that — it wasn't something a proper princess would do, and Mal had made it clear that being a little princess was all she was good for.

Mal studied her for another second then picked up her things and left.

"So that's your official induction," Jay said after a few moments of silence. "Think you can handle it?" He grinned, walking over to them, his arm immediately draping over Carlos' shoulders as he looked at her. "Then again," he continued, as he brought his other hand to her neck, his fingers ghosting across the bruises, "if you can handle this, I think you'll do fine."

Stunned with how casual Jay was with her now, how he _could_ touch but chose _not_ to, Evie could only shrug. "I didn't exactly handle myself very well. If it weren't for you or Mal, I'd probably be dead." She winced; she hadn't meant to say that in front of Carlos.

Carlos looked down, face blank.

Worried, Evie waved her hand. "But I'm fine now. Plus, I got him back," she told him, smiling for him, trying to make him feel better.

"I'll say," Jay said, and he let a finger trace her jaw for the briefest of moments. "You certainly handled yourself there." A slow smirk graced his lips, that mischievous glint dancing in his eyes. "Thinking I could use you to help with some marks. Don't think they'd stand a chance when faced with a pretty chick like you."

Quirking an eyebrow, Evie gave him a once over. "Is this your way of sweet talking me, Jay?" She formed a smirk of her own. "Because you might want to up your game."

Grinning, Jay pointed a finger at her, waving it slightly. "See, that's what I'm talking about. They see that smirk, and they're goners."

"Wouldn't it be dangerous for her?" Carlos asked quietly, still not looking up at them.

"I'm not making her do it. It was just an offer," Jay said, grin fading. He tilted Carlos' chin up, made him look Jay in the eye. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Carlos muttered, unable to hold Jay's gaze.

Jay said nothing for a few seconds before releasing Carlos' chin and turning to Evie. "Think you can make it to your castle without using your acid?" he asked her, and only a little bit of his usual humor was there.

"I won't use it. Won't promise not to use my scissors, though." She smiled that charming smile she used so often, but it bounced right off Jay, as he was too focused on Carlos. Able to tell when she was no longer wanted, Evie gathered her things and gave them a small wave as she left, knowing that they didn't really see it.

She never thought she'd been so willing to go back to her mother's castle so she could hide away in her room.

—

Though homework wasn't so thrilling, it provided Evie with an easy distraction from the events of the day, so she sat at her desk, completing the busy work her professors had assigned. She'd been lucky in avoiding her mother when she arrived home, and she'd made a beeline for her vanity, for the cream that would take away the bruises, braving through the pain as she rubbed it into her skin.

Once that task was completed, she opted to stay in her room, foregoing dinner completely — it wasn't a big challenge for her, as there never was much for her to eat, seeing as her mother made her watch her weight. Avoiding her mother had been easy, but staying cooped up in her room when she knew what waited outside her window was more maddening than when she had to do it the first time those four, nearing on five, years ago.

The knocks at her window made her stop working, and Evie listened: two, pause, one, pause, two. Surprised, Evie got up and opened it, and sure enough, Carlos was perched outside, eyes downcast. "Carlos," she said, a terrible greeting that her mother would scold her for, but Evie honestly couldn't come up with anything proper.

"Is tonight a bad time?" Carlos asked, still not looking at her, and that snapped Evie out of her stupor.

"Of course it isn't, come in," she said as she helped him inside, closing the window behind him. "I was just surprised. It's been a weird day."

"Tell me about it," he muttered once he was on stable flooring, kicking his feet slightly.

"Pretty sure I don't have to, seeing as you were there and all," she teased, lightly nudging him as she passed. When that didn't get any reaction, she frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Jay made me talk about it," Carlos said, eyes still downcast, hands at his side as he hanged his head.

Not liking his behavior at all, she guided him to her bed, pulling him down with her. "And you didn't like that," she finished for him, loosely wrapping her arms around him and holding him close, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Not one bit," he said, letting out a shuddering breath as he gradually relaxed in her arms, his head hesitantly resting on hers.

They stayed like that, wrapped up in each other's space, for a long, long while, but Evie had never felt so content, her thumbs moving absently over the fabric of Carlos' shirt, and Carlos breathed easy, evenly, one of his hands holding onto Evie's arm, his own thumb moving every now and then. Evie thanked her luck for letting her cross paths with Carlos, for letting Mal and Jay allow her to keep him, and she could stay just like this, leaning on Carlos as he leaned on her, forever. 

But she couldn't. Sooner or later her mother would come looking for her, conducting another inspection, and she doubted Carlos could stay in her room forever, doubted he wanted to be cooped up in here with her.

"Carlos," she began as she slowly released him, giving him some space as she braced herself for a stubborn conversation, "have you thought more about asking Jay?" Because that was the thing, wasn't it? Carlos would never stay cooped up with her when Jay was on the outside.

Nose scrunching up, Carlos shook his head. "He won't—"

"Carlos," Evie interrupted, already frustrated, "I was there today. He only had eyes for you."

"That's not true," Carlos said, looking at her like she had two heads.

"He sent me home so he could be alone with you," she said flatly. Really, Carlos, why can't you see it, she thought, almost marveling at how oblivious he was.

"Evie," Carlos said, but he closed his mouth, a frown on his lips as he clearly didn't know what to say, how to handle this situation.

Taking his hand in hers, Evie said, as gently as she could, "Nothing bad will happen. Besides," she continued, giving him a smile, "he knows how I like to play with acid, so he wouldn't dare hurt you."

"Evie!" Carlos said, shocked.

"I'm just kidding," she said, patting his leg. Well, mostly kidding, she thought, deciding it better not to tell him that. "But in all seriousness, don't you find Jay attractive? Is that why you won't ask?"

"I don't want to ask him because I don't want to get beat, not because I don't think he's attractive," he said, scowling a little. "Anyone can see he's attractive. Anyone can see that you and Mal are attractive."

"Are you kidding," Evie said flatly, blinking. "Mal is so much more beautiful than I am."

"You're both beautiful," Carlos said, like it was a truth, like it was as true as the science he liked so much.

"But you think Jay is the most beautiful," Evie guessed, if only to shift the focus back on him. "Also," she continued as Carlos opened his mouth, "Jay will _not_ beat you. He glares daggers at anyone who so much as looks at you wrong, so why would he beat you?"

"Being willing to protect me is different from being willing to have sex with me," Carlos argued, blushing.

Taking in a deep breath, trying not to pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration, Evie went for a different approach. "Do you know how confident I am that he'll agree?" At his head shake, she continued, "I'll cut off all my hair if he doesn't."

The panic in Carlos was immediate. "You can't say that!"

"I mean it! That's how confident I am that everything will be okay." She smiled for him, trying to project nothing but sincerity. Even though she did not understand how Carlos couldn't _see_ it.

Carlos remained quiet, brow knitted in thought, his eyes moving slightly as he replayed memories as if he were reading a book only he could see, and Evie let him take his time, hoping that the conclusion he came to was the one she'd been saying all along.

A full three minutes later, Carlos finally spoke. "Give me till my birthday," he said quietly.

"What?"

"Give me until my birthday, then I'll ask him," Carlos said, a little louder, a little firmer.

Stunned, she studied him. "You sure?"

Snorting, Carlos nodded. "Yeah. But you can't bring it up again."

"Okay," she conceded, thinking it fair. But as she still wanted him to know that she supported him through and through, she spoke again, smiling wide. "Can I at least make some good luck cupcakes for the day?"

Carlos blinked at her. Then he fell back, covering his face with his hands, groaning. "Sure," he muttered.

Deciding to take pity on him, especially since he finally agreed to give it a shot, Evie crawled to the head of the bed, pulling the covers back. "Shoes off," she said as she got underneath the covers. "Time for bed."

Snorting, Carlos kicked off his shoes and followed her lead.

———

Carlos didn't believe in magic, and not just because he lived on the island. He firmly believed in no magic, doubted the propaganda Auradon displayed on the two channels allowed on the island, regarded the stories of his mother and her peers as just that: stories, myths of a time better remembered of an older generation, something to occupy their minds and incense the younger generation into giving a crap about their surroundings.

No, magic to Carlos was as nonexistent as the possibility of finding out the identity of his father. All stories he had no desire to read.

The barrier around the island wasn't magic; it was technology, and technology always had a weakness to exploit. Sooner or later, Carlos would find the barrier's weakness, and then he could control what signals were sent and blocked.

It was something, a pet project, to keep his mind busy while he did his chores.

Meeting Evie, though, made him doubt his own conviction.

She was a princess, real royalty, and sometimes, in the way she spoke and in the way she held herself, Carlos could see a Queen waiting to ascend to the throne. She had a vicious mean streak when riled up but could charm nearly anyone, and when she paired up with Jay, the two were perhaps the deadliest couple on the island.

And yet, Evie smiled, she laughed, she _giggled_ when he spent time with her, more than happy to listen to him go on and on about his newest project, even asking questions about them, wanting to know more, even making suggestions on how to better them. Carlos couldn't understand how someone that beautiful could be so smart; it was probably as close to magic as he was willing to believe.

Hell, he never used to believe the stories about Mal's eyes until the day she intervened with the Gaston twins, and some days, he still didn't believe it.

But Evie... Evie came into his life like a lightning strike, and just like lightning, she didn't leave the impact zone the same. After a mere week, she had managed to ally herself to Jay and _Mal_ , had managed to show them something that they respected, had managed to show how she was worth something to them. With each passing month, Evie grew more and more comfortable around Jay and Mal in a way that Carlos didn't think he'd ever be. 

Carlos felt useless.

—

With most of the kids in the dining hall as lunch got underway, Carlos kept to himself as he roamed the halls, searching each classroom, and with each step, his heart beat faster. He shouldn't have let Evie convince him to do this, but when he saw how supportive she was — she baked some sort of pastry-like things, a "good luck asking Jay to have sex with you" treat to give him courage — he couldn't find it in himself to refuse.

(He refused to admit to himself just how much he wanted to do it, how much he wanted to do it with Jay.)

"Yo," came a call from a nearby classroom, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin.

Turning, and trying to take as subtle a deep breath as he could, Carlos entered the room, steeling himself for the upcoming conversation. "Hey, Jay."

Jay grinned, lounging in one of the chairs, leaning it on its back legs, Jay's legs draped on the desk in front of him. "What you doing prowling the halls?"

Carlos shrugged, fiddling with the bag in his hands. He blinked. "Do you want some of this? I think Evie made too much."

Eyebrow raised, Jay glanced at the bag. "I don't like taking things if I didn't steal them myself."

"I can close my eyes, if you like," Carlos said.

Jay's grin widened. "Nah, toss me some." He caught the bag with ease, and he took no shame in digging through its contents. He made a grunt, pulling out one of the pastry-like foods. "What is it, and why give it to you?"

"I forgot what she called it," Carlos lied, surprising himself on how easy it was to do; he didn't think he _could_ lie to Jay. "And she said it was just stuff she had left over."

Shrugging, Jay took a bite, nodding his head slightly in approval.

Do it now, he thought as his insides churned, do it now while he's distracted and pleased. "Uh, Jay, I need, um," Carlos began, mentally smacking himself as he fumbled over his words.

"Carlos, breathe," Jay said after he swallowed down his mouthful, faintly amused. "What do you need?" He took another bite.

Taking in a deep breath, Carlos tried again, telling himself to be calm, to think things through. "Well, I don't really _need_ anything, but I thought I'd ask for your help with something." He gave himself a little mental fist pump, relieved that he'd managed a coherent sentence.

"Sure, why not." Jay shrugged, licking his fingers. "What's up?"

Carlos almost faltered; he hadn't expected Jay to agree so easily. "Can you come to my place tonight, say eleven? I can show you there," he said, trying to will his nerves steady.

Eyebrow raised, Jay gave him a considering look. "It's not for one of your machines, right? Because I'm pretty sure I won't be much use in that department." He grinned.

"No, that's not it." The drone signaling the end of lunch sounded. Saved by the bell, he thought with relief. "Class calls, so see you tonight?"

Jay nodded, waving absently as he pulled out another treat from the bag, and Carlos hurried out the room, relieved and nervous all at once.

—

Evie, thankfully, didn't mention anything, just took notes and made light conversation like she always did, kept quiet in their last class with Mal and Jay. And Carlos was once again questioning his belief in there being no magic because, really, it was like Evie could read his mind.

—

The night was chillier than usual, but Carlos remained in his spot, sat on the steps leading to the front door of his mother's home with his arms around his knees, as he waited for eleven to roll by. He had taken special care not to anger his mother, to do anything and everything she said as quickly as he could while still making sure he did things effectively and efficiently; he hadn't wanted anything to hinder his chances of getting to the treehouse after his chores.

A breeze picked up, causing him to shiver and hug his legs tighter to his chest, and Carlos tried not to overthink anything, tried not to talk himself out of it. Still, a small part of him wanted Jay to blow him off, to not show up so Carlos could be the coward he truly was.

"Yo."

Heart skipping a beat, Carlos looked up at Jay, still not used to how well the boy snuck around, unable to believe that he had actually shown up.

Jay looked down at him, amused. "Why are you waiting out here?"

"Because we're not going inside," Carlos replied around the lump in his throat, getting up and dusting himself off, trying to get his nerves under control.

Jay nodded, like that was a perfectly fine answer. "And where are we going?"

"Um. To my treehouse?" Even as he said the words, Carlos knew how lame the request was, his cheeks heating up despite the chill in the air.

"You have a treehouse?" Jay asked, the corner of his mouth twitching, but he didn't say anything else, just followed Carlos into the weedy, overgrown yard where the tree stood tall if crooked.

It had been a pain constructing the house, but Carlos made it work, needed it to work so that he could have a place away from Cruella, a place away to tinker and experiment and not have the pressure of someone's eyes on him.

Which meant he was doubly nervous to bring Jay there: a pair of foreign eyes that could judge, made even more likely, and worse, by the request Carlos wanted to ask.

Still, he climbed the rope ladder and crawled through the floor hatch, and waited for Jay to follow, his heart pounding all the while, and he tried not to seem so interested in Jay's reaction when he pulled himself up through the hatch.

Carlos watched nervously as Jay looked around his treehouse. It wasn't that huge, but it was big enough, considering he was young and small when he built it — though, he supposed all his projects made it seem smaller, more cluttered. The newest addition to his lair, the blanket and pillow Evie had given him, rested in a corner with the least amount of technological experiments, and looking at it only made Carlos more nervous and embarrassed, as he brought them up here in the off chance that Jay would agree to his request.

Jay's whistle brought him out of his musings. "Bring all the boys up here?" Jay asked, giving him a grin and a teasing eyebrow waggle.

"No way," Carlos said, surprised he could speak at all with the damn lump in his throat. "Only those privileged are allowed here."

"I'm flattered," Jay said with a small bow, grin still in place. "So, what do you need help with?" he asked as he looked around again, trying to answer his own question.

"Well, it's my birthday soon," Carlos began, his stomach knotting; he felt so sick. What if he said no, he thought as wiped his palms on his shorts. What if he said _yes_ , he then thought, heart pounding harder. He didn't know which possibility made him sicker.

"Lucky thirteen," Jay said with a grin, punching Carlos lightly in the shoulder.

Carlos chuckled, though more from nerves than amusement, as he rubbed the spot Jay had touched. "Yeah..." He didn't know how to ask it, how to breach the subject without Jay hitting him and terminating their arrangement for good. "Before I ask, just. Just promise me you won't hit me." He winced at how pathetic he was being.

All traces of amusement left Jay's face. "Carlos, what—"

"Have sex with me," Carlos blurted out, his eyes widening once he realized what he said. He couldn't help it; the expression on Jay's face, that look of concern, had blindsided him, messing with his head.

The expression Jay wore now, though, gave him an upset stomach, that neutral expression that made it so hard to determine what Jay was thinking, made worse by the fact that Jay's stance, the way he held himself, didn't betray any of his thoughts. He was like a statue.

"Carlos," Jay began, expression and bearing not changing.

Carlos stepped back, heart pounding. "I'm sorry," he said, afraid to tear his eyes away from Jay. "I'm sorry!"

"Carlos," Jay said again, brow creasing. "You're serious?"

"I..." Words wouldn't come. Carlos wanted to deny the request, say it was just a stupid joke, say it was the excitement at turning thirteen that made him act foolishly, but the words wouldn't come.

Jay, though, had words to say. "Remember what I said?" he asked, expression softening but no less serious. "If that's what you want, I'd give it to you, but if you don't want it, you better say something."

Throat closing up, Carlos could only stare at Jay, unable to believe that Jay was actually willing to do this for him, do _that_ with him, despite all that Jay had seen, despite everything Jay knew about Carlos. "You'd actually consider—" He cut himself off, not wanting to break whatever spell was in place.

Because it had to be magic. Despite Carlos not believing in it, nothing else could explain why Jay was entertaining the idea.

Jay quirked an eyebrow. "You thought I wouldn't agree?"

"You could have anyone," Carlos said lamely, thinking about all the other girls and boys who looked at Jay in school, who'd gladly let him steal from them if it meant having his attention if only for a little while. "You know, someone not damaged goods." Carlos winced. He hadn't meant to say that, and he took a small step back at the way Jay's jaw flexed, the way his expression grew stormy. Jay's remembering everything, he thought, heart sinking, berating himself for speaking without thinking, for reminding Jay of how useless he was, of how soiled he was. 

"Carlos," Jay said, voice surprisingly calm.

"Yes?" Carlos answered, unable to stop himself from shaking as Jay stepped closer.

"Do you want to have sex with me?" Jay asked, blunt and serious, his eyes searching Carlos' face.

Carlos once again considered lying, considered brushing off the request, but something about the way Jay's eyes gleamed compelled him to speak truthfully. "Yes..." he mumbled on a shaky exhale, swallowing as he waited on Jay's reaction.

Jay studied him for an agonizing second. Then he nodded. "Okay."

Carlos blinked. "What?"

"Okay," Jay repeated. "When do you want to do it?"

"Well, I'll be thirteen at midnight," Carlos muttered, stunned, mouth nearly on autopilot, and his admission caused his cheeks to burn.

"Oh, so you wanted to do this tonight," Jay said, considering, "sort of like a birthday present?" He raised an eyebrow, but it wasn't in judgement, just plain curiosity.

"Sort of," Carlos agreed, uneasy with how normal Jay was acting; he hadn't expected Jay to react like this at all.

"So," Jay began as he moved closer to Carlos, hooking an arm around his neck like he did when they were in school, "you want to do this now?" He walked them over to the blanket, waiting on Carlos' answer.

Not trusting himself to speak, Carlos nodded, wondering if he were dreaming, wondering why Jay had agreed, wondering how could Jay take off his jacket like it was something he did all the time.

"Are you stripping me?" Carlos asked lamely, brain still not comprehending the situation.

Grinning, Jay shrugged. "Well, I figured you wanted to be naked for this, but hey, if you want to do it with clothes on, I can work with that," he said, amused as he paused his actions, hands resting on Carlos' hips, fingers dipping just underneath his shorts.

Swallowing, Carlos tried to think clearly, tried not to hyperventilate. "Don't really want my clothes to get messed up," he mumbled, embarrassed all over again, nerves scrambling as Jay got closer, crowding him a little.

Jay chuckled, dipping his head low. "Definitely don't want that to happen," he murmured, mouth next to his ear, and then he was kissing his way down Carlos' jaw, sending shivers all throughout Carlos' body, as his hands undid Carlos' pants, pushing them down even as he pulled Carlos closer.

Carlos' brain short-circuited for a few moments, and all he could do was hold onto Jay's arms, his mouth open and breathing heavy as Jay continued undressing him, continued kissing his way to his neck. An embarrassing whine left his throat when Jay pulled away, just long enough to get Carlos' shirt off, Jay grinning all the while, but then Jay was back in his space, crowding him with warm hands and lips, not stopping until Carlos was completely nude.

"Get down," Jay said as he pulled away again, giving Carlos a little nudge before he began stripping himself, peeling off his leather vest and jeans and kicking off his boots.

Carlos did as told, shucking his own shoes off, transfixed as Jay revealed more and more of his body. He couldn't believe Jay was only fifteen; Carlos doubted his body would look like Jay's even when he was twenty, and he felt a sudden swell of insecurity, fighting the urge to cover himself, to _compare_.

It dissipated, though, when Jay looked at him with those dark eyes, darker than Carlos had ever seen them. "You ready?" he asked, voice a shade huskier than usual, as he even tossed his cap to the side, standing before Carlos in all his naked glory — and what glory it was — the only thing on his skin the bronze chain around his neck, various trinkets hanging from it.

Shivering, Carlos nodded, turning over to get on all fours, ass up as he bit his lip in anticipation, forehead pressed into the blanket; he knew what came next, knew how all the others liked it, and he took several breaths in preparation. He startled slightly when Jay's calloused hands grabbed his hips, and he braced himself for the push, the thrust, the intrusion.

Except it never happened.

Instead, Jay turned him over, laid him down on his back, and took hold of his chin, making Carlos look him in the eye. "No," he said firmly, a slight frown to his lips as he gazed down at Carlos, his hair falling down and framing his face, "not like that."

Carlos was lost again, unsure what Jay had meant, unsure what he did to upset Jay, but then Jay kissed the corner of his mouth, kissed down his chin, down his neck. Carlos' eyes fluttered shut as Jay added his hands into the mix, massaging whatever skin they touched as they traveled down his body.

"Have anything?" Jay asked between his kisses, his tongue darting out along Carlos' collarbone as one of his hands lazily stroking Carlos' cock. 

Carlos blinked, swallowing down a gasp. "W-what?" How could Jay expect him to answer a question when Jay had his hand there?

"Okay then," Jay said through a chuckle, and he pulled away, leaning back on his knees as he took his index and middle fingers in his mouth, wetting them, his eyes never leaving Carlos'.

Carlos swallowed again, throat gone dry, even more so when Jay lowered his fingers to Carlos' ass, eyebrow raised in question. Heart pounding in his chest, Carlos nodded, ready to get it over with, and he tried to steady his breathing when he felt Jay's fingers circle his hole.

But that forceful intrusion never came. Instead, Jay eased his way inside, slow and steady before he even moved, his gaze on Carlos' face the entire time, and Carlos could only squirm, so unused to the feeling, to the caution Jay used; it felt weird, that gradual stretch, and it made his skin hot, made his mind a little hazy.

Jay began to move his fingers now that they were comfortably inside Carlos, and that only made it _worse_ , made Carlos shudder and breathe unevenly. Jay's other hand massaged the inside of Carlos' thigh, not helping matters.

Carlos didn't know what to do with this gentleness, mind clouding at the thought of Jay's hands, normally so rough and capable of such vicious acts, touching Carlos as if he were delicate, as if he were something that _should_ be handled with some type of care.

"Jay..." Carlos moaned when Jay added yet another finger, skin feeling too hot, too tight, and he couldn't stop his hips from moving, from trying to get _more_. The slow pace was too foreign, was _maddening_.

"Shh, almost there," Jay whispered, twisting his fingers _just so_ , eliciting a low groan from Carlos because something inside him had just set him on fire, as if a switch had been flipped, and he couldn't _not_ move his hips.

Jay made a grunt, eyebrow raised. "Ready now?" He seemed skeptical and entirely too composed.

"Yes, _yes_ ," Carlos panted out, and he would be embarrassed with how desperate he sounded, but he couldn't be bothered, just wanted Jay in him, just wanted the teasing to stop. What Jay was putting him through was just _mean_.

"Breathe," Jay said, and then he was entering Carlos, his cock easing in inch by inch, hot and hard, sending sparks all throughout Carlos' body.

And Carlos didn't know what to do, could only try to breathe like Jay had instructed him to, because Jay felt like nothing he'd experienced before. He was so full already, Jay sliding into him his full length, and Carlos felt like he was vibrating all over from the sensation.

Then Jay pulled out, watching Carlos as he whined, only to push back in, gentle but firm, and Carlos _shuddered_. He felt like he could explode.

Smirking, Jay pulled back, pulled Carlos with him as he sat up, repositioning them so that Jay was leaning against the wall with Carlos sitting in his lap.

"W-what are you doing?" Carlos panted out, moaning at the new position. He felt more exposed like this, getting a heady rush from being able to look down at Jay for once.

Jay grinned, running his hands down Carlos' sides. "Letting you set the pace." His hands settled on Carlos' hips, giving them a light squeeze.

Skin feeling way too tight, Carlos bit his lip, his fingers digging into Jay's shoulders, as he raised his hips and fell back down on Jay's cock, and he let out a low groan. This angle let him take Jay in deeper, let him feel so much fuller, and it nearly drove him crazy. " _Jay_." He continued moving, pace tentative even though he wanted more, craved more.

"Take what you want," Jay murmured as he leaned forward, right in his ear before he delivered a nip to Carlos' earlobe, his hands massaging Carlos' hips. He began sucking a mark into the crook of Carlos' neck.

And Carlos broke, rocking in Jay's lap, dragging his nails down Jay's chest, just missing the chain, Jay's words echoing in his head as he moved, as he kept taking Jay in. He was burning up, getting consumed, _devoured_ , by the heat within him, and he didn't care, went willingly even as he began to shake, from both pleasure and nerves; he'd never felt like this before. "Jay, Jay, I'm—"

"Yeah, that's it," Jay said, breathy and heated, pulling Carlos closer with one arm, his other hand moving to Carlos' cock, stroking in time with Carlos' movements.

And that was too much for Carlos, causing him release, like it was ripped from him, his vision graying around the edges as he groaned, the spike of pleasure coursing through him so foreign, so unnerving, but so, so _good_. His energy left him, and all he could do was slump against Jay's chest, gasping for breath.

He was so exhausted that he would have fallen asleep right there in Jay's lap, with Jay's fingers trailing down his spine, but Carlos still felt warm, still felt _Jay_. Blinking, Carlos glanced down, shivering at how Jay licked at his collarbone, at how he mouthed at the skin underneath the snake pendant, his hands running over every inch of Carlos' body. "J-Jay, you're still inside..."

"Ah," Jay said, looking down like he'd forgotten. "Yeah, sorry, let me just—"

"Wait," Carlos moaned out when Jay tried to leave him, oversensitive. "You didn't get off...?"

Shrugging, Jay shook his head. "Nah, but it's okay."

Swallowing, Carlos moved his hand from Jay's shoulder to his neck, feeling bold with the high he was in. "Take what you want," he said, trying to sound as seductive as Jay had as he reached for Jay's ear, for the earring he always wore — always wore but never talked about.

Jay grabbed his wrist, lightning quick as always, and they stared at each other. "Carlos, you—"

"Please," Carlos said, the urge to please Jay so great that he thought it'd rip right out of him, and he hated begging, refused to do it despite how many people wanted him to, and yet, with Jay, it was easy, was so easy to surrender. "Jay, please." He didn't even know what he was pleading, _please let me touch, please let me in, please find use for me,_ maybe all of it; he just needed Jay, right then and there.

"Carlos," was all Jay said, and he let go of Carlos' wrist, let Carlos touch his ear and the earring. Slowly, he thrust up, thrust back into Carlos, and Carlos' eyes widened as he was slowly filled once more, his mouth hanging open with a breathless moan.

"Take what you want," Carlos repeated, shuddering out another moan as his fingers massaged Jay's earlobe, and when Jay started moving again, started setting a pace that was so infuriatingly slow, Carlos nodded, feeling the heat return to his body, the haze return to his mind. "That's it, more," he panted out, and in the hazy heat surrounding him, Carlos pulled Jay's face close, his fingers never leaving that earring, and kissed him.

Jay's body stiffened, his movements stopping, and Carlos' eyes snapped open — he had no idea he'd closed them — and pulled away, shocked with himself for doing such a foolish thing, for ruining an otherwise perfect night. He should have known, though, that perfection didn't exist, and now Jay was going to bring them back to reality, was going to cast Carlos out and away, disgust on his face. Carlos braced himself for the rejection, for the hits that came with it.

Only nothing like that happened. Instead, Jay looked at him with such a heated gaze that Carlos thought he'd melt, and he growled, actually growled, before lunging forward. With his hand on the back of Carlos' head, Jay brought their lips back together, kissed Carlos like he'd been starving for it, slow and deep and firm, and Carlos felt himself falling back, back against the floor and the blanket, felt Jay press into him, felt Jay surround him.

They parted, both gasping for air, and Jay barely gave Carlos any time to recover before he started moving, before he snapped his hips against Carlos, drove in deep and hard, leaving Carlos a shuddering, moaning mess.

"Look at you," Jay grunted out, voice husky and _awed_ as he brought Carlos' legs around his waist; he let out a pleased groan when Carlos locked his ankles together, keeping Jay in place, trying to pull him in _more._ Jay obliged him, thrusting harder. "You're such a good boy for me, Carlos."

Carlos nearly sobbed. " _Jay._ " He didn't know how he managed the word, didn't know how he could think about anything other than the heat within him, the fire that was Jay, consuming him so completely.

"Fuck, you're taking it so well." Jay sounded awed again, pleased, and he kept his pace, bracing himself with his forearms on either side of Carlos' head, framing Carlos as he leaned down to nip at his lips, his hands smoothing back Carlos' hair. "You like this, Carlos? Like taking it from me?"

Carlos nodded wildly, his moaning wanton, his hands trying to find purchase on Jay's sweat slicked body, moving against Jay's arms, shoulders, back, everywhere. "Jay, I'm gonna—I'm gonna—!" He felt so hot, his skin so tight.

"That's right," Jay panted, nodding his head absently, his thrusts almost punishing, "let it out for me again, be my good boy."

And Carlos broke again, harsher this time, his whole body shaking, trembling with his second release, with the pleasure that coursed through him, his mouth open in breathless gasps as his fingers raked down Jay's back, eyes squeezed shut at how _good_ it felt.

Jay continued his movements, continued using Carlos, and it _felt so good_ that Carlos nearly wanted to cry, to sob, to beg for it to never end. Jay kissed him again, letting Carlos swallow his groan as he came inside Carlos, and Carlos _melted_ , so sated and oversensitive that he didn't know what to do with himself.

He just knew he wanted more of it.

Because Jay above him, panting in attempt to catch his breath and looking at Carlos with half-lidded eyes, made Carlos' stomach flutter. And when Jay lowered himself, gave his arms a rest by letting his body just lay on top of Carlos', Carlos felt warm, felt comfortable despite how heavy Jay was, felt... at ease.

So he let sleep take him, let everything else drift into the background as he let his eyes close.

—

Come morning light, Carlos had awoken an hour later than he usually did, wrapped in his blanket in the treehouse, and for a long moment, he had no idea what he was doing there, feeling so warm and at ease.

It wasn't until he noticed the cupcake with a note that had _lucky 13_ written on it that Carlos sat upright in shock, remembering what had happened the last night. Sluggish, he checked himself, checked the blanket, and there was no longer a sticky mess anywhere; they'd been cleaned.

Staring at the cupcake, at the note with the familiar scrawl, Carlos blinked. Jay had cleaned up? It was the only explanation. After all, he was still naked, still had marks on him from where Jay had touched and kissed, still felt an ache that was so different, so pleasant, from any other time he'd had sex. Jay had cleaned up, he thought, unable to stop the flutter in his stomach; no one had ever done anything like that for him before, had helped him like that.

Gingerly, he got up and pulled on his clothes from yesterday, idly wondering how Jay had gotten the blanket so clean; they had messed it up pretty badly, but he felt relieved now that it was cleaned — he wouldn't have to explain to Evie how it got dirty.

Glancing at the clock he kept in the treehouse, Carlos wondered if Evie still woke up so early during the weekends, and if she did, if she wouldn't mind him dropping in for a visit.

Because he needed to thank her.

Because Carlos didn't believe in magic, but today, earlier that morning, he discovered that Jay was capable of something close to it. And Carlos found himself not minding in the slightest because, for the first time in his life, he had actually enjoyed his birthday.

———

The first time Evie had entered Carlos' treehouse, she had been wary but excited, interested to see his experiments, what he kept hidden from everyone else. Now, as she sat on one of the many little cushions she'd let him take from her room, she felt nervous, nauseous even, as she waited for Carlos to arrive with Mal and Jay.

Last week, when Carlos had told her about how he rang in his birthday, Evie couldn't stop her mind from thinking, from imagining, couldn't stop the request from forming in her head. It crawled in her mind, settled itself firmly, and refused to be moved, so she decided to act on it, to see if it was allowed.

But she hadn't dared to ask without Mal's consent, or Jay's either. Though she and Jay got along fine, effortlessly flirting and teaming up for a distract and steal combo during her trips to the bazaar, she and Mal hadn't made any progress.

Well, that might not be the total truth. Whenever Mal graced them with her presence, she hadn't seemed disgusted by Evie, despite the eye rolls she gave whenever Evie mentioned beauty tips, but even so, Evie didn't feel like she could be as relaxed around her as Jay was. She was just thankful she wasn't the only one with that issue, as Carlos still had trouble keeping still around Mal as well.

The hatch opened, and the top of Carlos' white hair was the first thing she saw; Evie took a deep breath and stood up, ready to smile and greet Mal and Jay when they entered.

Jay entered the treehouse as if he lived there, as if he knew it like the back of his hand, and there was a part of Evie that was jealous of that familiarity, of that confidence. Mal, on the other hand, entered as if she thought a trap lay in wait, clearly suspicious of all the technology scattered about. She stood next to Jay as she studied Carlos and Evie.

Carlos glanced nervously around, gaze settling on Evie, and he was no doubt wondering why on Earth had Evie called this little meeting, why it had to be in his treehouse.

Mentally sending him an apology for making him worry, she took a small breath and smiled for them. "Okay, so, is everyone comfortable?" Evie asked, trying to get her nerves under control.

"What's going on?" Mal said, arms crossed as she leaned against the wall, eyes narrowed.

"I have a request I wanted to ask Carlos," Evie said quickly, still not used to Mal's gaze.

"And we have to be here because...?" Mal let her words trail as she gestured to Jay and herself, unimpressed.

Swallowing, Evie answered. "Because Carlos has an arrangement with both of you, and I'm the outsider here." She might have been part of their little arrangement now, but that didn't mean she was on the same level as they were.

"You're not an outsider," Carlos protested, a slight frown to his lips.

"What's your request?" Jay asked, curious, as he fiddled with his gloves, an eyebrow raised.

With the three of them staring at her, Evie felt her nerves scramble, so she took a deep breath in an effort to calm them; she had decided on asking, so she was going to ask, even if it might cost her the protection and alliance of Mal and Jay. Because _not_ asking would have eaten away at her. "Carlos, would it be okay if we had sex?"

Silence filled the treehouse, Mal and Jay staring at her as if they were waiting for her to tell them it was a joke and ask her real request, Carlos staring at her with wide eyes, frozen in place.

Perhaps this wasn't a good idea after all, she thought, feeling sick. They were going to reject her request, reject her from the group, ignore her in the hallways, in the bazaar, on the island; she'd be all alone again, no protection, no frien— no allies.

"Why..." Carlos began, clearing his throat when everyone looked at him, "why me?"

"What?" Evie asked, stunned that he hadn't outright refused.

"Why choose me?" Carlos' cheeks were turning red. "Wouldn't you rather Jay?"

Mal snorted when Jay raised an eyebrow, though she looked interested in Evie's answer.

"While he is a prince of thieves" — she watched Mal roll her eyes again — "I want to try it with you."

Carlos' brow creased. "But why?"

Because you're the safest option, because you're _you_ , she thought. "Because I need to learn how to please my future prince, and since you're the hardest to please out of all of us..." Evie let her voice trail, the reasoning weak to her own ears; she should have rehearsed what she would say.

Jay snorted. "Mal definitely beats Carlos in that department."

"Watch it," Mal warned, eyes narrowed.

"Even if that were true," Evie said diplomatically, not wanting to cause a fight in Carlos' treehouse, "Mal isn't a boy. Trying to please her would be fun, but the point of this is learning how to please men."

"Hold up," Jay said, shaking his head a little, "did you just say you'd—"

" _Yes_ ," Evie said, exasperated, not ashamed, not even when Mal's gaze pierced her, "but that isn't the issue here. Carlos is."

Mal and Jay glanced at each other while Carlos stared at her.

"You want us to watch?" Mal asked, point blank and expressionless.

"Carlos will decide the conditions," Evie declared, sending a smile to Carlos, "if he agrees."

Swallowing, Carlos looked to Mal and Jay, but Mal only shrugged, leaning back against the wall, waving her hand at Jay. Jay studied Carlos for a long moment, glancing at Evie briefly before shrugging himself. "It's your decision."

Carlos swallowed, looked right at Evie, eyes searching her face as he thought about it, expression curiously blank, and Evie did her best not to fidget.

"Okay," he said after a while.

"You sure?" she asked, her stomach doing a little flip. She hadn't expected him to agree. After all, he had Jay now.

"Yeah," Carlos said, more firm this time, but as he glanced at Mal and Jay, he squirmed as he continued, "and, uh, I don't really care if they watch or not." His cheeks turned red.

"If you don't care, I don't care." Evie cared, more than she'd admit, but this was as much about Carlos as it was about her; so what if they judged her? She turned to them. "Do you want to stay?"

Shrugging, Jay answered first. "Sure, why not." He grinned as he settled against the far wall, but his brow had a minute crease to it. He was only staying to make sure Carlos was okay, Evie knew, and she relaxed; his eyes wouldn't be on her tonight.

Mal, though, was another story. She hadn't responded, merely watched the three of them interact, face infuriatingly blank as she weighed her options, and Evie felt sick all over again.

On one hand, she felt nauseous at the notion of disgusting Mal, of showing yet another side where she would be inferior and ugly in comparison, yet on the other hand, something fluttered in her chest at the thought of performing for Mal, of showing Mal how good, how skilled, how useful, she could be. She held her breath, almost trembling with anticipation.

Mal blinked, a shoulder moving in a half-hearted half-shrug. "Okay," was all she said as she once again settled next to Jay, and she looked on in an expectant way.

Beside her, Evie saw Carlos swallow, and she had to agree; maybe letting them watch was a terrible idea. Still, this was her idea, so she would make do, would make sure that Carlos was comfortable. That was, after all, the point of the night.

"So," she said as she turned to Carlos, giving him a reassuring smile, "would you like me to undress you?"

"Whatever you want," he mumbled in reply, cheeks already turning red.

"No," she tsked, unzipping his jacket, "it's whatever _you_ want." This isn't going to be easy, she thought, watching as he gave a minute shrug. Carlos wasn't used to asking, she figured, so she needed to learn how to read him — a task that wouldn't take her too long to master, as she already knew how to watch people.

Taking the initiative, Evie moved even closer to him, let her hands rest on his shirt, on his chest, let them move upward toward his shoulders, pushing the jacket off as they did. Carlos kept her eye contact, and she figured he'd rather look at her than at their audience, so Evie stayed in his line of sight, made herself the only thing he noticed. And surprisingly, he let her.

Jacket gone, Evie was struck with the sight of his arms; he'd rarely show them, rarely show the faded scars that peppered his skin, and for a moment, Evie was lost in those scars, in the knowledge of what Cruella had put him through.

(She'd never forget stumbling upon one of Cruella's tantrums, would never forget Carlos' condition afterward.)

"Can I kiss you?" she whispered, running her fingers along his jaw, trying to push the memory aside and focus on the here and now, and she delighted in the way he nodded, his eyes half closed. Nervous, as she never kissed before, never did _anything_ before, Evie pressed her lips to Carlos, gently at first to test the waters, then firmer, more passionate, when she felt him respond, when she felt him hum a little into it.

It sent a spark through her, lit a flame in her belly, and she suddenly wanted to do so much more for him. So she dropped to her knees.

"H-hey," Carlos stammered out, looking down at her with wide eyes.

She smiled up at him, almost smirking at how flushed his face was. "I need to get you hard somehow, right?" She winked as she undid the zip to his pants, pushing them down just enough to pull his dick out. She couldn't believe how much she wanted to do this.

"Wait," Carlos said on a breathy shudder, his hand on her head.

Evie stopped immediately, her hand frozen mid act of pulling down his underwear. "Yes?"

"Um. Can we get fully undressed before we do, do anything else?" He averted his eyes, looking neither at her or the two others in the room, as he shuffled his feet.

You're too cute, she thought as she smiled for him, nodding. "Sure," Evie said sweetly, standing and tugging off her shirt, looking at him expectantly. She could tell he was a little relieved as he stripped, his eyes darting to her every now and then as more of their clothing landed on the floor.

Finally naked — and she must be getting impatient, but it felt like it took an eternity — Evie stood in front of Carlos, let him look at her, trying to focus on him and not the other two pairs of eyes on her, burning her, making her _wet_. She didn't know someone else's gaze could do that to her, and she drank in the sight of Carlos' bare skin in turn, wondering if her gaze would do the same thing to him, wondering if being watched made him feel the same.

Judging by the way his cock perked up, Evie had to conclude that, yes, he felt the same, even as he fidgeted, his adam's apple bobbing with each gulp, his eyes roaming over her body.

What does he think, she thought, burning with curiosity as much as desire as she guided Carlos down, sat him on his little stool at his work station so she could get better, and more comfortable, access to his erection as she knelt in front of him. Her gaze flickering up at his face to make sure everything was okay now, Evie leaned in, tentatively took the head of his dick in her mouth and gently sucked.

Carlos groaned as a full body shudder overtook him, and the flame in Evie's belly _danced_ , compelling her to take him in more, to use her tongue on the underside of his length. The way Carlos moaned, the way his hands shot out to hold her head, his fingers massaging her scalp, added to her heat, her desire, and she practically swallowed down his cock, taking as much of him in as she could.

Her mouth felt full, felt so hot, and her head was getting hazy, the flame in her belly burning bright; she felt herself growing wetter, and as she took Carlos in even deeper, as she bobbed her head and brought her lips together, sucking and licking, one of Evie's hands traveled to her cunt, her fingers dipping into her wetness, stretching herself, the feeling of both places being penetrated making her moan.

Carlos' hands were in her hair, gripping just shy of hard, and he panted out, "Evie, I—!"

She pulled away quickly, gasping a little as she licked her lips, and she stared into his dilated pupils. "Do you want to come in my mouth?" she asked, her fingertips ghosting over his thighs, "or somewhere _else_?" She emphasized her question by bringing her fingers, slicked with her own juices, to her mouth and licking them clean.

Swallowing, an attempt to clear his head of the dizziness of arousal, Carlos opened his mouth, but no words came out. It was minute, but Evie could see how his eyes twitched, like he wanted to look over at Jay, at Mal, both, for an answer. He didn't look away from her, though, just kept his eyes on Evie, on her fingers, and Evie watched as those eyes traveled south.

God _damn_ , she was so wet.

"Evie..." Carlos whispered, almost whimpered, and he reached for her but paused his action, conflicted but still _wanting_.

Charmed and maybe a little impatient, Evie stood up, kissed him, sucking on his bottom lip as she pulled him away from his workstation and over to the blanket. She didn't need to guide him down, as he seemed to move automatically, sitting down and leaning back as he gazed up at her, and Evie wondered how often Jay led Carlos to this spot, how often Jay caused Carlos pleasure right there.

A smidgen of jealousy settled in her gut, mixing with the fire within her, and Evie knelt down, straddled Carlos' waist as she ran her hands over his chest, over his stomach, before finding his cock, her eyes never leaving Carlos' as she lined him up, watching him take a breath as he licked his lips.

She sank onto him, squirming slightly at the discomfort, at how foreign it felt and she tried to distract herself from the feeling of being slowly split open by watching Carlos' face — because his mouth had formed a perfect little o as he exhaled deeply, his eyes glazed with arousal, his breathing heavy and uneven.

Deciding she could bear the odd discomfort, Evie moved, just an experiment of rolling her hips, and though it didn't feel any better, the way Carlos' face crumbled, a groan escaping him, made Evie want to do it again. So she did, again and again, slow and steady because, while still feeling odd, the way Carlos moaned, his eyes closing in pleasure, started to make her wet again, started to make the way he fit inside her more pleasurable, started to make her body shiver and sweat. She shifted a little, and the new angle made them both groan, as she took him in deeper.

It definitely felt a lot better than when she started, and she set a faster pace, going a little harder, just to see Carlos writhe beneath her, panting and whining in pleasure. She felt so hot, so wet, and she wanted Carlos to feel how she felt: dizzy with want, with need, with pleasure.

"You feel so good," Evie moaned out, speaking the truth, rolling her hips as she brought his hands to her breasts, encouraged him to fondle, to squeeze, to use, and when he did, when he massaged them, cupped them firmly, she cried out, her whole body shaking. "Keep going, c'mon, Carlos."

She didn't want it to end, wanted to feel this good always, wanted Carlos to feel this good always, and Evie leaned forward, bracing herself with her arms on either side of Carlos' head as she continued snapping her hips, as she kissed him, the both of them groaning from it, from the new angle and rhythm.

"Evie," Carlos gasped out when they broke apart, his hands grabbing her hips a little roughly, "Evie, I can't—I'm gonna—"

"It's okay, Carlos," Evie panted out, breathing the same air as he did, their mouths so close to each other, "you can come inside." And as she said it, she realized she wanted nothing more, wanted Carlos to fill her, to lay claim, to mark her; she wanted to belong. " _God_ , come for me."

And then Carlos _was_ , mouth open in a breathless moan as he released inside of her, his hands squeezing her hips as his own went through little spasms, and Evie could _feel_ him pulsing within her, the sensation only making the flame in her belly grow instead of dwindle, demanding to be put out, demanding her to move and seek out her own release.

But Evie didn't move. Instead, she merely panted, trying to catch her breath, trying to calm down, as she watched in awe as Carlos' whole body became lax, as if his bones had melted, and she shivered as she moved off of him, feeling Carlos trickled out of her.

While she hadn't been satisfied, it had been a wild experience, and seeing Carlos so dazed, so languid, was well worth it.

"Someone's hard," Mal said, bringing Evie out of her musings, startling her.

She turned to them, heart racing as she remembered that they were indeed in the treehouse, and she found Mal smirking at Jay, who didn't try to hide the bulge in his jeans, not an ounce of shame on his features. He only shrugged.

"What, it was hot," was all he said, dark eyes gleaming with arousal.

The flame in her belly flickered back to life with the fact that she hadn't been sated, and Evie stood up, wondered if it was okay to offer what she wanted. "Jay," she said slowly, watched as his gaze lazily traveled to her, "I can help with that."

Eyebrow raised, Jay gave her a once over. "You trying to get knocked up?"

"Of course not," she said, a little indignantly, especially since Mal's amusement slipped away as she regarded Evie critically. "My mother's old spell book is good for more than just magic." She had well prepared herself for this, taking great care to mix the decoction correctly and drink it when instructed from her mother's book; she even spent some time stretching herself.

"So what, this is a game now? See how many people you can get off?" Jay asked, tone teasing despite how intrigued he looked.

"Don't be an ass," Carlos muttered from his position on the floor, body still sprawled out and relaxed despite the little frown on his face. He made a pitiful attempt at a glare. "She offered to help you."

Mal snorted as Jay grinned.

"And are you saying I can't get you off?" Evie said, the challenge fanning the flame within her. How odd it was that she could banter with Jay so easily, when Mal, and sometimes even _Carlos_ , tripped her up.

She was even more impressed with herself because she managed to speak as if she wasn't standing naked before them, body slicked with sweat, thighs slicked with Carlos.

Jay's grin turned into a smirk, and he nodded his head, waving her over. "Come try then."

As sweetly as she could, Evie shook her head, her hand on her hip as she hooked a finger at him, beckoning. " _You_ come here and strip."

Mischief dancing in his eyes, Jay pushed himself off the floor, tossing aside his clothes as he approached her, his smirk amused and challenging.

It fanned the fire more, and Evie nudged him down, surprised with how easily he went. She removed his beanie, tossed it aside with the rest of his clothes, and tipped his chin up, liking how he had to look up at her. "Think you can handle not touching?" she asked, smirking as her thumb smoothed circles in his skin.

His eyes grew darker — and if that wasn't a sight to make her wet all over again — and he returned her smirk. "Only if you think you can handle me."

"Oh, I can handle you," she all but purred as she traced his jaw with her finger. "Lean against the wall." Once again, she was surprised how easily he complied, was surprised how hot it got her, and she wanted to put him in his place, to make him writhe and shake and moan and _want_. Dizzy with the desire, Evie straddled him, positioning herself above his cock.

At his raised eyebrow, Evie simply smiled. "You're hard enough, and I'm wet enough." And with that, she sank onto his cock, the both of them groaning. She hadn't thought about how he was bigger than Carlos, how differently he'd fit inside her, but it wasn't an uncomfortable fit, just new. Besides, seeing the surprise on his face, surprise at her boldness, her warmth, only spurred her on, making her want to move all the more.

So she did, rocking her hips into his.

Eyes closing, Jay's breath hitched, like he was trying to keep what he was feeling in, and Evie didn't stand for that. She braced herself, finding the perfect position that allowed her to roll her hips at a punishing pace, her hands on his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh as she moaned at how he filled her.

Evie let her hands rake down his chest, felt how hot his skin was, how his heart raced, and on a whim, she brought her fingers to his nipples, let the pads of her thumbs press against them, press them down. She watched as Jay's eyes snapped open, arms twitching, wanting to move them but not wanting to forfeit the challenge.

But, God, was it her imagination or did he get _bigger_?

Arousal pulsed through her, and she leaned down, took one of his nipples in her mouth as her hand played with the other, rubbing and teasing, all while keeping a sloppy, hard rhythm. The groan that Jay let out sent a jolt right to her clit, and she sucked harder, flicking her tongue more, _pinched_ him.

" _Fuck_ ," Jay ground out through clenched teeth, and his body, his arms, trembled slightly, giving Evie a head rush of power.

Pulling herself, her mouth, off of his nipple — and how difficult it was to do, especially since Jay damn near whined — and mindful of how Carlos was only a few spaces away, watching with great interest, Evie leaned in close, leaned in to whisper in Jay's ear. "You like this, Jay?" she breathed out, her fingers still teasing him, still rubbing and pressing, and he swallowed in response.

"Bet you'd like it better if it were Carlos right now," she continued, breathy and low, trying to keep her moans under control, trying to keep quiet so only Jay could hear her words. "That's getting you off, huh? Imagining him doing this to you, taking you like this." She punctuated her words with snaps of her hips, gave them emphasis by teasing his nipples harder.

Jay made a strangled noise, and his entire body shook with it.

Mesmerized by Jay's arousal, herself aroused by the power she had over him, Evie picked up her pace, bouncing in Jay's lap, clenching around him, let her moans fill the room as she dug her fingers into his chest, his breathy pants spurring her on. "C'mon, Jay, come for me, come inside, just let it out," she babbled, scratching him slightly, thumbing his nipples again, and Jay groaned, long and low, as he released within her, his hips twitching, his expression dazed.

The thought that she had done that to him, had reduced him to this, was so hot that Evie didn't mind not being sated, didn't mind how overheated she was. Gingerly, she got off him, standing up and shivering at how he trickled out of her. Glancing at Carlos, she noticed that he had come a second time, a dazed expression of his own on his face as his gaze shifted between Jay and Evie and back.

I think I won the challenge, she thought to herself, still catching her breath but proud as she stepped back and surveyed her handiwork.

Evie startled when a pair of hands settled on her stomach. "M-Mal...?" she whispered, turning her head slightly, trying to see the girl behind her, trying to figure out what she had done wrong.

"The rules of the game have changed," Mal all but purred, her hands traveling down to Evie's hips.

"Have they?" Evie managed to say, trying not to shiver from Mal's touch. Mal's skin was cold compared to her own, and the combination made Evie dizzy.

"Yeah," Mal replied, her fingers kneading Evie's skin. "Think you're up for it?"

"Sure..." Evie was breathless, and Mal had only touched her! Maybe she wasn't up for whatever Mal had in mind after all...

"Good," Mal said as she led Evie to the nearest wall, "because I don't like to be left out."

"I wouldn't—!"

"Oh, I know," Mal murmured, turning Evie around so that they were facing each other, and Evie saw the smirk on Mal's face. "After all, you said trying to please me would be fun, right?" Mal pressed Evie against the wall.

Licking her lips, shivering with anticipation, Evie nodded, transfixed by Mal's heated gaze. She wanted to drop to her knees, wanted to lick and please, wanted Mal to grab her hair and _guide_ her.

But that wasn't in Mal's plans because as soon as Evie had started to sink to the floor, Mal grabbed her wrists and pinned them above Evie's head, keeping her upright and standing. "Now, now, you haven't heard the new rules." She squeezed Evie's wrists, pressing them harshly into the wood. "Don't move your arms from this position," she said, voice husky, tone authoritative.

Mal didn't have to worry, though, because Evie was pinned to the wall by the weight of Mal's gaze alone. She could only nod, stomach fluttering at how Mal's lips twitched upward, pleased, as she released Evie's wrists, smirking fully when they didn't move an inch.

For a long second, nothing else happened. Mal merely watched Evie, drank in the sight of her naked and compliant, and Evie grew wetter, her heart racing, her body aching. Then, Mal ran her hands over Evie's body, slow and measured, almost feather-light, starting from her neck and traveling all the way down to her thighs, Mal's fingers leaving goosebumps in their wake.

It drove Evie crazy, sent shivers all throughout her.

"Think I didn't notice," Mal said conversationally, as if nothing unusual was happening, as she leaned into Evie's space. "Think I didn't know that you hadn't come yet." Her hands massaged Evie's thighs, touch still light and slow.

Evie shivered, staring at Mal helplessly, unsure of what to say but knowing that she didn't want Mal's hands to leave her.

"But you did enjoy yourself," Mal continued, as if bored, as her fingers began to dip within Evie, teasing her, "enjoyed taking cock." To emphasize her point, Mal's other hand caressed Evie's thighs, smearing both Carlos and Jay over more of her skin, as she twisted her fingers, scissoring them inside, making Evie shudder.

"M-Mal..." Evie whispered, gasping when Mal thrust her fingers inside her more roughly.

"Why didn't you come?" Mal asked, looking Evie in the eye as she brought her fingers, the ones that had been on Evie's thigh, up to Evie's lips, and Evie opened her mouth automatically, licked Carlos and Jay off Mal's fingers, sucked on them, mind becoming so hazy with the taste of them, with the piercing, heated gaze of Mal's dark eyes. "Is it because you know you're mine?"

Evie moaned, crying out as her whole body tightened, as she _came_ just from Mal's words, from those eyes, and she cried out again, moaning and writhing, when Mal started moving her fingers, fucking Evie's cunt with hard, fast thrusts, Evie's orgasm adding to her warm wetness.

"That's it, isn't it," Mal breathed out, leaning in closer, nipping at her jaw. "You couldn't get off with the boys because you know you're mine, know that _I'm_ the one who claimed you." She grabbed Evie's chin, pulled her forward so that they were sharing the same breath. "I say when you can come." Mal kissed her, claiming her all over again, and Evie _melted_. "You knew that, didn't you, because you're smart, because you like to please." Mal's fingers were setting her on fire, opening every nerve within her, exposing her, making her shake and gasp. "Because you _want_ to be mine."

"Mal, Mal, please, I need—I want— _Mal_ ," she babbled, whining, but she couldn't help it, couldn't help the way her hips rolled to meet Mal's fingers, the way her body trembled with the strain of keeping put, and _fuck_ she was on fire, she was being consumed, and she didn't _care_ , would let Mal do this whenever she wanted.

Because Mal was looking at her — looking at _her_ — with such a pleased, smouldering gaze, her pale skin tinted pink from arousal, her eyes drinking in the sight of Evie so messed up, so hot and bothered, and Mal licked her lips as her fingers twisted deep inside of Evie, as her other hand thumbed Evie's clit, rubbing slow and hard, giving such a maddening contrast that Evie could only groan, nearly sobbing from the pleasure.

"You're gonna come for me again," Mal panted out, kissing Evie, hard and insistent, demanding, "you're gonna come for me and show me how much you like being mine."

And the fire within her belly burned bright with her orgasm, consumed her flesh and soul, consumed her so entirely that Evie didn't know what happened after, just knew that she was weightless, boneless, mindless, and so very sated.

Blinking back to reality, Evie found herself lying on the blanket, lying beside Carlos and Jay as her head rested in Mal's lap, Mal fingers idly playing with a strand of her hair.

How did the night turn out like this? How did Evie get so lucky?

"Holy shit, that was great," Jay said, a lazy grin on his lips. "Didn't know you had that in you, Mal." He snickered. "But I always knew you were possessive."

"Shut up," was all Mal said, looking satisfied herself despite being the only one fully clothed. She raised an eyebrow as she glanced at Jay. "And if I _were_ possessive, none of you would be screwing each other."

Jay smirked. "Good thing we all have an arrangement with each other."

"The blanket's dirty again," Carlos said softly, close to sleep.

"I'll get it in the morning," Jay replied, ruffling his hair.

"How do you even know how to clean that?" Mal asked, nose scrunched up.

"I think..." Evie murmured, still out of breath, still feeling so boneless, brain not quite caught up to the conversation, "I think I like this new component of our arrangement."

Jay snorted. "Gotta say I agree with you there," he said as he pulled Carlos closer, as he grinned at Carlos' blush.

Mal smirked, surveying the others, and she nodded. "I could get used to it," she conceded, sending a mischievous glance down at Evie, and Evie's stomach fluttered.

Once again, she found herself thankful she got mixed up with these insane teens, thankful that they decided to keep her, and she found herself hoping things would only get better, that they'd get closer, from here on out.

———

If someone would have told Mal, long ago when she was young, when a man had tried to take by force, that she would have marked three peers as hers, that she would enjoy touching, taking, and watching those same three peers, Mal would have laughed in their face, would have used her knife on them.

And yet, there she was, lying on her stomach in her bed as she sketched the curve of Carlos' back, the flex of Jay's hands, the expression on Evie's face, sketched them all with a smirk as she replayed the memories of the recent months, the recent evenings. Who would have thought she'd grow to _like_ the idiots that hung around her?

No, she thought, mentally correcting herself as she sketched out Jay's hair. They didn't hang around her, but she didn't hang around them either. It was more like they gravitated toward each other. She and Jay were pulled together in their youth, something had pulled Jay to Carlos, and something else had pulled Evie and Carlos to each other. And sure, she could admit to herself that she felt a pull toward Carlos and Evie as well, no matter how it puzzled her.

Carlos had been easy to see, his history and his living situation, as well as his connection with Jay, spurring her decision to keep him, to claim. But Evie? Mal had no idea what possessed her to claim a pretty _princess_ , someone who smiled too much, too easily, someone who could charm nearly anyone, someone too into beauty and not enough into evil.

Wrong, she thought, Mal's mind once again correcting her. She knew why she conceded to Jay's suggestion, to Carlos' wish. Jay had told her about Evie's little stunt in the bazaar, about the sleepover that followed, and Mal herself heard Evie stand her ground against Cortor, heard Evie threaten and command and _fight_ , proving herself more than just a pretty face, proving that Evie knew when to value evil.

Mal didn't know why she had been roaming the halls that day, why she had decided to skip class, why she had happened upon the scene, but she had, and that had made her decision for her, especially since Jay had just so happened to be roaming the halls that day as well.

Gravitation, she thought, amused, as she packed up her sketchbook; all the introspection left her antsy, and she needed to roam the bazaar, needed to scare and steal, and maybe drop in on one of the ones she marked as hers. She let out a chuckle, imagining Evie's or Carlos' face if she showed up unannounced.

Mal opened her door to find Maleficent staring at her. "Mother," she said, stunned, heart pounding; she hadn't heard a sound outside her room. How long had her mother been standing there?

"Mal," her mother said, head held high despite the diminutive stature she'd been reduced to. Her gaze flickered over Mal, her lip twitching in disgust, but Maleficent's features remained mostly blank. "Come with me." She left no room for argument, for further conversation, as she turned, walking into the main room of their shared floor.

The silence felt more oppressive than usual, and the hair on the back of Mal's neck rose. She kept her distance, felt like she was trapped with some sort of beast, waiting for the first strike, but Mal didn't want to wait; waiting only put her more on edge. "So..." she began, trying not to think about what could have brought Maleficent back here, out in the open, interacting with Mal.

Maleficent turned her head, glancing over her shoulder at Mal, her profile sharp and menacing. "Do you enjoy being a disappointment?"

Mal froze. "What?"

"Despite everything I've told you, you still chose to defy me."

"What are you talking about?"

She turned, facing Mal fully, her eyes narrowing minutely. "Friends, Mal?"

A chill ran down her spine, but Mal kept her features as neutral as she could. "I have no friends," she said, letting disgust paint her features.

Maleficent merely stared at her, unimpressed. "You're a fool if you think this island doesn't talk." Her expression finally changed, a scowl sharpening her features. "And what talk! You hanging around a street rat, a daft princess, and a runt."

No no no no, she thought with dread, forcing herself to be still, be expressionless. "I don't hang around anyone," Mal insisted, and it was a truth, if not a whole truth.

"Forming attachments is a weakness," Maleficent said, ignoring her and turning her back on Mal.

"They aren't attachments!" Mal said, voice rising just a fraction; she grew desperate. "Every villain needs minions." The words left her mouth before she could really process them, and Mal winced; it was a weak excuse when she said them to Jay, and it was still a weak excuse now.

Maleficent paused, her head turning slightly, not enough to see her full profile, but it made Mal stand straighter nonetheless. "Minions?" Maleficent echoed, tone quiet.

"Yes," Mal said, heart racing now that she regained her mother's attention. "They each have a quality that can be useful to me, and they're smart enough to know to fear me should they step out of line." And that was a truth, too, at least on Carlos' and Evie's parts.

"Minions," Maleficent said again, facing her fully, and she blinked slowly. "Well, perhaps you're not a completely lost cause. However," Maleficent's gaze turned sharp, cold, "I cannot say I'm too impressed with the talk of smiles and fun shared between you and your _minions_."

Mal was thankful for her pale skin; it helped conceal how all the blood drained from her face. It didn't help with how dry her throat felt, though. "That's just manipulation..."

"Fear is always the better motivator," Maleficent said with narrow eyes. And she did something that froze Mal's heart: Maleficent smiled. "And they _will_ fear you after today."

( _Two of Maleficent's henchmen banged their fists against the door of the de Vil place, and when Carlos had opened it a crack to see whose racket was angering his mother this time, they barged in, knocking Carlos to the floor with their strength. They loomed over him, snarling at how he trembled with fear, and muttered, "Our Mistress wishes you well," before they fell upon him, tearing his clothes as they beat him._

 _Carlos screamed, trying his best to cover his face, to curl into himself to lessen the impact of the blows, but they grabbed his arms, his legs, flipped him over, pressed him into the floor, forcing themselves on him; they were harsher in their touch than any of the other men that took what they wanted from Carlos, and Carlos couldn't even scream anymore, his mouth too full, jaw aching with all the rest of his body, tears flowing freely down his face, from pain, from despair, from knowing no one would help him this time._ )

Unease latched itself all throughout her entire body, unfreezing her heart, allowing it to beat rapidly, but Mal willed herself calm. "What do you mean?" Her voice sounded odd, faraway.

"I once again had to take care of what you couldn't manage," Maleficent said with a scowl, her eyes shining bright despite the fact that they hadn't turned emerald, "my minions against yours." A smirk formed on her lips, truly twisted and sinister. "Let's see who wins."

( _Three of Maleficent's henchmen barged in on Evie as she sat in her gardens, not giving her time to be outraged before they pulled her out of her chair by her hair, snarling at how she kicked and screamed and called for help. One henchman, the one who grabbed her hair, yanked her forward as another grabbed her legs. "Our Mistress wishes you well," the two said in unison as they ripped away her dress and forced her on them._

 _Evie sobbed, unable to get free, her arms, hips, and scalp bruised by both henchmen's punishing grips, tears flowing from how easily they lifted her to meet each thrust, at how her jaw ached, at how the third henchmen blocked the door to her castle; the banging from inside the door did nothing to comfort her, did nothing to stop the movement inside her, and Evie wept, the pain too much, the despair too great, all thought of being rescued vanishing from her mind._ )

The unease in Mal's gut twisted, more excruciating than a physical pain, and she had to tell herself to _breathe_. "What did you do?" Her tongue felt like lead, her voice too calm.

"Since death is too lenient a punishment, I merely told them to teach a lesson to your little _minions_." Maleficent grinned, slowly, baring her teeth. "If only my magic were possible, we could see exactly how they fare."

( _Four of Maleficent's henchmen cornered Jay in an alleyway, grunting and snarling as they took Jay's punches and kicks, scrambling to get ahold of the boy and keep their hold, and because of his swiftness, Jay almost made it out of there, if it weren't for the fifth henchman waiting for him. As Jay fell to the ground, blindsided by the unexpected blow to the side of the head, the fifth man said, "Our Mistress wishes you well," and he and the other four fell upon him._

 _Jay didn't scream, didn't sob, but he did grind his teeth so hard it hurt as they held him down, his thrashing doing nothing to toss them off of him, only made them press his chest, his face harder into the ground as they tore his jeans, as they held his legs in vice grips as they spread them, as they forced themselves on him. With a thick boot pressed against his head, keeping his face in the grime of the alleyway, Jay could only grunt in pain as they took their turns, the fight slowly leaving his body, leaving him defeated._ )

Mal stood still, the chill of her mother's words coursing through her veins, and for the briefest of moments, the faces of Jay, Evie, and Carlos flashed in her mind, bloodied and subdued. She blinked, and the image was gone, replaced by something akin to a growing rage. "You—"

"Yes?" Maleficent cut her off, eyes narrowed. She stepped closer, and her presence was terrifying, encompassing, even without her magic.

But it didn't faze Mal. Not this time. "You touched what's mine?" she asked quietly, voice too calm, strained with the effort to keep her blood from boiling over.

Eyebrow raised, Maleficent stepped closer still. "Excuse me?"

Mal stood her ground, her gaze not faltering. "You touched something of mine," she repeated, and she could feel it, feel how her eyes wanted to turn, feel that burning emerald bubbling beneath her regular green just as much as she could feel her blood quicken, not from fear but from rage.

Maleficent sneered. "You want to fight me, little girl?"

Before she could hold her tongue, before she could properly think about the situation she found herself in — no one went to war with Maleficent and lived — Mal said, "I'm not the one who's _little_ here."

The slap across the face was unexpected, both in its swiftness and in its power, and Mal actually stumbled to the floor from the impact, her cheek _stinging_ so much that her eyes watered, but she refused to touch it, refused to do anything but stare defiantly up at her mother.

"You forget the reason no one touches you, oh daughter mine," Maleficent said, looking down her nose, eyes narrowed and brow creased with disgust. "You forget how quickly I can change that."

Not breaking eye contact, Mal stood up, made sure her movements were measured, made sure she gave away no weakness. "They don't touch me because they fear _me_."

"You have no power," and with that, Maleficent let her eyes turn, the emerald much brighter, much deeper than Mal's, and she loomed despite her small stature.

Mal braced herself and let her own eyes turn, doing the impossible and having a stare down with the Mistress of Evil herself, her own mother, a woman who was feared not only by the people of Auradon, but by those on the island as well, someone who Mal had never thought she could best at anything.

And yet... Mal was here, in their home, trying to overcome the power of her mother with her own.

But Maleficent's gaze was too intense, so icy it burned, chilling the soul while searing the flesh, and Mal could feel herself losing, could feel herself being consumed, and she couldn't bear it, couldn't bear the thought of losing _now_ , not when she had to make sure what was hers wasn't lost forever.

So Mal closed her eyes, turning her face away in defeat, but only briefly. She opened them just as quickly, not-quite-glaring at her mother, still refusing to back down, to move from her spot; she would hold her ground.

Maleficent only smiled, that twisted, cruel, calculating smile, at Mal's actions, and she let out a huff of amusement. She inclined her head, waving her hand as she walked away. "Keep your little minions, if they still live in one piece. Prove to me you have what it takes to rule, to be worthy of what little power runs through your veins." With that, Maleficent disappeared into her room, the door once again shut.

For a long moment, one that felt like an eternity, Mal stood still, the fact that she had just gone up against her mother and lived surreal. Her mother's words, though, brought her back to reality, and she turned on her heel and ran, her mind and heart racing, unsure where she should run to first.

It turned out her feet made the decision for her, and she panted as she entered the de Vil property, her gut heavy like lead. In the back of her mind, she wondered why she came here first, but as she neared the steps, Mal knew the reason. She heard Cruella shouting before she saw anything, and her words, _her words_ , made Mal sick, made her pace quicken.

"So your dealings are taking place here now? You dare bring that filth into my house!?"

Mal entered the foyer, a chill striking her spine like lightning when she saw Carlos on the floor, bloodied, beaten, _used_. He wasn't even shaking, wasn't moving, as he stared out in front of him, eyes unseeing, and the only reason Mal knew he wasn't dead was the fact that, thanks to how badly his clothes were torn, she could see his stomach move with each small breath he took.

She wished she could only focus on his stomach, wished she didn't see the bruises, the blood, the semen, and _God_ , how she wished she could use magic to undo what was done, to strike those who did it down dead.

"What are you doing here?" Cruella asked, bringing her out of her quiet rage. She regarded Mal suspiciously, her frown deepening.

"Get out," Mal said quietly, unable to tear her gaze away from Carlos.

"What was that?"

"Get out!" Mal nearly snarled, eyes flashing as she turned her gaze on Cruella.

Cruella narrowed her eyes, but Mal saw her swallow as she left the room.

"Carlos," Mal whispered, dropping to her knees, unsure where to touch, unsure if she _could_ touch. "Carlos, c'mon, talk to me." She wasn't like Jay — oh God, _Jay_ , she thought with horror, trying not to think about what condition he could be in — couldn't do the comfort thing like Jay could, but she tried to sound calm, tried to be there in some way. "Carlos."

His shoulders shook once, only once, on a shaky exhale, and he glanced at Mal, dim eyes blinking. "Mal," he muttered, voice utterly wrecked.

"We need to get you to your treehouse," Mal said, pitching her voice low in case Cruella was listening. "I need to get the others. Do you need anything?"

Confusion spread across his face. "Mal, what—"

"I'll bring them there, okay," Mal stated, not wanting Carlos to ask, not wanting to explain what happened three different times. "C'mon, let's get you to your treehouse. Do you need anything?"

Carlos stared at her for a long moment, looking so worn out and weary. "Just, just something to clean up," he finally said, eyes downcast, shoulders sagging even more.

Nodding, Mal took off toward the kitchen, in search for something that Carlos could use. She had half a mind to snatch one of Cruella's furs, but she knew that wouldn't do Carlos any good in the long run, which meant she merely retrieved rags from the kitchen, dampening them with water before returning to Carlos.

Carlos hadn't moved from his position, and Mal tried not to let that bother her too much as she knelt down at his side, offering him the rags, still unsure if her touch was welcomed but so relieved when he took them from her. 

Slowly, Carlos sat up, wincing all the while, and he gingerly wiped himself off, his eyes still holding that faraway gaze as his hands moved across his body, his breathing steady even as he cleaned his lower half, his face, his hair.

It took an eternity, but Carlos finally tossed the rags aside, finally glancing at Mal again. "Okay," was all he said.

Swallowing, Mal nodded and hauled Carlos up as best as she could without jostling him too much, mostly pulling him toward the treehouse, pulling him away from Cruella's grasp; she knew Carlos didn't need to worry about her right now, and Mal didn't want Cruella near him anyway.

"Mal," Carlos muttered when they got to the base of the tree, "I don't think I can make it up there."

"We're getting you in that treehouse, even if I have to carry you," Mal said adamantly, glancing up the ladder, trying to figure out the best course of action. She needed to leave him somewhere safe, somewhere Cruella couldn't reach, somewhere her mother's goons wouldn't think to find him again.

"I can do it," Carlos said after a minute, staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"Carlos," Mal began, stopping when he shook his head.

"Just. Just follow behind me." He swallowed, steeling himself, and Mal could only nod. After taking a few deep breaths, Carlos began the climb.

Mal waited a little, trying to give Carlos as much distance as he needed while still being close enough to prevent him from falling should he lose his grip or his strength, and she climbed as well, trying not to stare too much at how ragged his clothes were now.

They made it up the ladder and into the treehouse without any hiccups, and Mal watched Carlos settle down on the old comforter, watched him wrap it around himself, before she nodded.

"I'll be back with the others. Pull up the rope if you want, but I'll be back."

"Mal," Carlos called, confusion creasing his brow, a question on his face.

Mal only shook her head. "I'll bring them here," she said again, almost a promise, and she left, nearly slid down the rope in her haste, taking off in a run the moment her foot touched the ground.

She knew where she was heading next; Evie was Carlos' neighbor, after all. Mal ran past the gardens, heart quickening when she noticed Evie's favorite spot destroyed, and began climbing the castle, taking care to follow the path that she was taught, trying not to make any sound.

As she neared, though, she heard commotion, heard things slam and fall, and Mal stayed still once she reached Evie's window, listening to the racket inside the room, Evil Queen's ranting indecipherable but her anger transparent. Cursing the window shutters, Mal tried to see if she could make out what exactly was happening, but all she could tell was that the Evil Queen was tearing apart the room, shouting nonsense while doing so.

The window shutters rattled, the sound of breaking glass deafening, and Evil Queen's words became clear. "You let them touch you, those disgusting brutes! Have you no _shame_!? You're supposed to be blossoming into a beauty, not some common tramp!" The door slammed shut, causing something to rattle and another to crash to the floor.

When she was sure Evie was alone, Mal lightly tapped on the window, tapped out the secret code that Mal had called stupid, and she leaned back and waited, holding her breath and feeling so sick.

A lifetime passed, but the window shutters opened, allowing Mal entrance. Stepping through the window, though, only made her sicker, her stomach sinking when she spotted Evie in her tattered bathrobe.

"Mal..." Evie said quietly, clearly lost, the way her wet hair fell about her shoulders, tangled and dripping, making her seem so young, so pathetic. Her skin was red, as if scrubbed too hard, as were her eyes, as if she'd been crying, and bruises littered her body, marring her beautiful skin. She wore no makeup. Mal felt her throat close.

"Evie," Mal said, surprised she could still manage words. She took a breath, remembering Carlos, remembering she still had to find Jay. "Get dressed, we need to get to the treehouse."

Evie's brow creased with confusion, and it only brought Mal's attention to the bruise near her hairline. "What do—"

"I told Carlos I'd bring you there, so we need to go. I still need to find Jay." Mal tried not to wince at her word choice, but she turned around, giving Evie some privacy. "Get dressed."

The room was silent for a long minute, but then Mal heard Evie move, her wardrobe opening and closing quickly. It made Mal frown; Evie was never that fast when picking out an outfit.

"Okay," Evie said, tone quiet.

Mal turned around and tried not to suck in a breath. Evie had put on a simple long sleeve shirt and what looked like sweat pants. She hadn't even known Evie _owned_ clothes like that. Swallowing, Mal gestured to the window. "Can you climb down? Do I need to go first?"

Evie glanced at the window and gave a tentative nod.

Before moving, Mal blinked. "Do you have anything for cuts and bruises?" she asked, remembering how Jay had cleaned up Carlos once before, but that wasn't an option; she wouldn't bring Carlos back into that place so soon. The only option left were the creams Evie had made; Mal just hoped she had enough of it.

Brow creased, Evie nodded, slowly walking — Mal tried not to notice how badly she limped — to her vanity, and she began packing a little bag of jars and tubes in silence, her movements slow and measured that had nothing to do with trying to seem graceful and everything to do with soreness and pain. When she finished, she turned to Mal, brow still creased. "Mal, what's—"

"I'll tell you when we get to the treehouse," Mal said firmly — as firmly as she could with a lump in her throat; she didn't want to get into it here, not when the Evil Queen could walk in at any moment. When Evie said nothing else on the matter, Mal walked to the window and climbed out, moving out of the way and keeping an eye on Evie as they both climbed down.

They made the trek to Carlos' treehouse in silence, slower than Mal would have liked, but she kept the pace easy for Evie's sake, not liking the limp, the wince she tried to cover up with each step. Mal kept her mind off of it, kept herself sane by reciting numbers, nonsense, anything other than vowing revenge, other than picturing Carlos and Evie in the aftermath — picturing them _during_.

The grounds of the de Vil manor finally neared, and Mal never thought she'd be happy to see the damned place. She made sure no one was around, that Cruella was inside the house, and she led Evie to the tree, ready to help her up the ladder when she found it nowhere in sight.

"Mal...?" Evie's voice trembled.

I know, she thought, her words abandoning her, her stomach sinking. Carlos had actually pulled the rope ladder up. In all his thirteen years, in all that time living in fear of Cruella, he'd never pulled it up before. Glancing up at the treehouse as she whistled Evie's secret code, Mal had never wanted to use magic as much as she did right then; the way she'd deal with those who robbed Carlos and Evie would make even Maleficent cower.

The ladder fell down a few seconds later, and Mal refocused herself, attention on Evie as she motioned for her to climb. "I'm going find—get Jay. Wait up there while I do."

"I'll come with you," Evie said quietly, and Mal knew she knew something was wrong.

Still, Mal shook her head. "No, stay here with Carlos. He needs you more than I will," she said when Evie opened her mouth.

The mention of Carlos did the trick, as Mal knew it would, and Evie swallowed and climbed, glancing at Mal every now and then.

Mal only stayed until she saw Evie safely enter the treehouse, and then she ran, took off for the bazaar, racking her brain for Jay's location, eyes scanning every nook and cranny for any sign of his whereabouts. C'mon c'mon c'mon, she thought, a constant litany running ragged in her brain as she searched, panic rising as time passed, as the sky grew darker.

She skid to a halt, backtracking a few steps as she peered into an alleyway, noticing the drops of blood, noticing the torn yellow leather, and she crept into the alley, braced for a fight, braced for the worst as she went further in, as she came across a body.

A body with long dark hair, a body with its left ear pierced, a body still breathing. _Jay_. Mal nearly collapsed with relief, and she hurriedly knelt by his side, feeling lost all over again. She'd never seen him this bad, this bloody, this beaten, this _used and defeated_ , and panic rose within her; he looked worse than Carlos had. "Jay..." she whispered, uncertain and hating it.

It took long, agonizing seconds, but Jay moved — more of a twitch, really, but Mal took it gratefully. He turned his head, blinking his eyes open. "Mal...?"

"Yeah, it's me," she said quietly, relieved but unsure if she was welcomed. "Stay here, I'll get something to clean you." She left without a word, without seeing what Jay would say, because she knew how he was, how prideful he was; she should know, seeing as she was the same.

It was easy securing the things she needed in the bazaar. With the sky as dark as it was and her eyes glowing as she stalked in the shadows, Mal resembled a monster, a demon, a curse, so the merchants cowered, _offering_ their wares and goods in exchange for their lives. She didn't spare them too much time, though, keen on getting back to Jay, on getting Jay back to the treehouse.

Nothing had changed in the alleyway, save for the fact that Jay was now sitting up instead of lying down. He watched Mal approach the same way she'd seen him watch a potential threat, and really, she couldn't blame him for that; she'd do it too. "Here," Mal said showing the rags and water bottle she acquired, offering because she knew, this time for sure, she couldn't touch.

Jay took her offerings without a word, cleaned what he could in that same silence, not looking at Mal, and Mal tried to keep breathing. He's alive, she thought, and she repeated it over and over in her head: they're all alive.

"Can you walk?" she asked quietly when he tossed the rags aside, and she gave him the pants she stole.

He didn't answer for a few seconds, finally shrugging and almost suppressing a wince. "Gonna have to," Jay replied, tone matter-of-fact, voice a little hoarse. "Not gonna stay here." Something flashed across his face — anger, disgust, shame, Mal didn't know — but it was gone just as fast as it came.

"Okay. Let's go." Mal stood up, deciding not to dwell on it right now, deciding it was more important to head to the treehouse, and scanned the area.

Pulling himself up, Jay stretched out, grimacing, before he swapped pants. "Where to?"

"The treehouse," Mal answered, not looking at Jay until he moved by her side. "The others are waiting."

Jay narrowed his eyes, and she knew he was piecing things together. "Why are they waiting?"

"Jay..." Mal began, but she didn't know how to continue. "I told them I'd bring you, so let's go." She knew her words wouldn't suffice, that he'd want more explanation, but she couldn't, she _couldn't_ , not right now, not in this alley where so many ears could be listening, not when the others' were waiting on the same explanation.

So she began walking, trying to keep herself from running, listening for Jay to follow her, hoping he would, and when Jay started walking, she felt both relieved and sober; the fact that she could hear him spoke volumes to the condition he was in.

No one bothered them as they made the trek to the treehouse, as Mal made sure that her presence broadcasted _back off if you want to live_ loud and clear. She tried not to focus too much on Jay's barely audible grunts, tried not to picture his face, the way he walked, but she also tried not to let her temper flare, let herself plot revenge, let herself think that she could go to _war_ with Maleficent for doing this to Jay, to Evie, to Carlos.

Not for the first time tonight, Mal wished that she could perform more magic than just a simple eye color trick.

They finally made it to the de Vil place, after a pace so slow that Mal thought she would go crazy, and Mal once again made sure the coast was clear before leading Jay to the treehouse. She kept her face blank as he grunted in surprise when they found that the rope ladder had been pulled up again, kept it blank as she whistled their secret code, kept it blank as she felt Jay's eyes burning her back.

"You first," she said when the ladder fell down, amazed that she was able to keep her voice so calm.

Jay said nothing, but his expression told Mal everything she needed to know: he knew, he knew that what had happened to him had happened to the others, and he was livid. He grabbed the ladder and pulled himself up despite the pain, pulled himself up to get to Carlos and Evie, and Mal hesitated.

Now that Jay was there, should she even bother to climb up? Jay could help them, Jay could be there for them in a way Mal never could, Jay could protect them without her help.

But Mal climbed up anyway, climbed to face their judgement and take responsibility instead of hiding away like a coward.

Evie and Carlos were huddled together, Carlos under his blanket and Evie with her arms around him, Evie's bag of creams and ointments open at their feet, and they looked up when Jay and Mal entered the treehouse. Instantly, both became panicked with concern.

"Jay," Evie began, holding Carlos tighter when he made a distressed whine in the back of his throat at Jay's condition.

Jay shook his head, pushing aside their concern. "What happened," he asked them instead of answering their unspoken question, unconcerned about his own appearance or well-being, his voice flat.

Carlos lowered his head and Evie said nothing. Instead, she got up, hiding her wince and limp better but still not completely, and brought the cream over to Jay, got to work on rubbing it into his skin, face apologetic whenever he couldn't hold in his winces.

It felt like an eternity to Mal, watching them clean up and try to heal, left with nothing to do but notice how dim their eyes were, and she felt a fleeting relief when Evie stepped away and reclaimed her spot by Carlos, putting away her containers and tossing her bag to the side.

No one said anything else, barely looked at each other, and Mal couldn't take it anymore.

"I did this," Mal said, as steady as she could. "I did this to you."

"Mal..." Evie said, shaking her head slightly, disbelieving.

"I marked you as mine," Mal continued, ignoring the look of betrayal on Carlos' face, ignoring Jay's cold indifference, "so Maleficent decided a lesson needed to be taught."

"What...?" Carlos asked, brow knitting together. He looked so lost, so young wrapped up in that blanket.

"Why would she care who you mark as yours?" Evie asked, swallowing, her own brow creased as she tried to understand the events of the night.

"Attachments are a weakness," Jay said, expression no longer as indifferent as before, but he didn't look at Mal.

Mal nodded. "She didn't like the way I hung around you," she said, voice wooden and faraway. "She said that fear is the better motivator."

All three shuddered, though the degree in which they did was different: Jay's being the most subtle while Carlos was the least.

"I take full responsibility," Mal continued, her chest tightening, "and I accept whatever you want to do in retaliation."

They stared at her, and she stared back. It was only fair, the only option that she had pondered that made sense: she had robbed them, had them brought down to their lowest, so they needed to exact retribution; she wouldn't blame them for it.

But none of them moved. They just continued to stare at her, in a way that was so uncomfortable that Mal wondered if this was part of their retribution.

"Mal," Evie said quietly, breaking the deafening silence of the treehouse, "did you tell your mother's men to come for us?"

Brow creased, Mal shook her head.

"Did you tell your mother to tell them?" Carlos asked, quieter than Evie had, most likely due to the fact that he was speaking about Maleficent.

"No, of course not," Mal answered, still confused. How can I tell her anything when I don't see her, she thought, trying to figure out where they were going with their line of questions.

"Then you didn't do this," Jay said, half-heartedly gesturing to all three of them, to their condition, his eyes still averted from her.

It made her sick. "Then why can't you look at me?"

And just like that, his eyes were on her, burning her in a way Maleficent's hadn't, in a way that was _worse_. "Had a bit of a rough night," he said flatly, a smidgen of anger beneath the surface breaking through, "so excuse me if I don't wanna look at anyone."

"Whether I physically told her anything isn't important," Mal continued, barreling on, because she needed them to understand, needed them to get angry, needed them to seek revenge, "I _am_ the reason it happened. It's your right to seek retribution!"

"Fine," Evie said as she stood, her legs still unsteady. "You want retribution?" Her stare was hard, more commanding than she had ever been in Mal's presence, to Mal's face.

"What I want doesn—"

"Kiss me," Evie said, cutting her off, expression still hard, head still held high.

Mal stared, bewildered. "What?"

"That's your punishment," Evie said, and her bottom lip trembled the slightest bit, "to kiss someone uglier and beneath you."

Out of the corner of her eye, Mal saw Carlos frown, saw his mouth twitch with protest, and that told Mal that they'd had a conversation about Evie's feelings before, that he understood what she was talking about, that he in no way agreed with them. 

Mal, though, had no idea how to understand those feelings. Was Evie blind? She was much more gorgeous than Mal could ever be.

"Well," Evie said, expression still hard. "Come kiss something soiled." Her voice cracked on the last word, but she stood her ground, staring at Mal.

And Mal had had enough. She stalked over to Evie and pulled her into a kiss, heated at first because of their emotions, their frustrations, but then the kiss slowed, cooled, turned exploring, gentle even, because Mal could only guess what those brutes had done, wanted to be nothing like that. When she pulled away, Mal saw Evie follow her, eyes half closed and dazed, and Mal took her chin between her fingers. "You are not soiled," she said firmly. "How can I show you that?" She glanced at the boys, too, wanting to know the same for each of them.

How could she fix this?

"Lick me," Evie answered, tone verging on desperate, her hand reaching up to lightly wrap around Mal's wrist.

"What," Mal said flatly.

"Lick me," Evie repeated, squeezing Mal's wrist as she became more desperate, "take me, claim me, right here in the treehouse. Get their touch off my skin." She was all but pleading.

Mal swallowed, frozen, as she stared at Evie. Could fixing the situation be that easy? She glanced at Carlos, saw that he was shivering slightly, the same look that Evie had in his eyes, and she glanced at Jay, saw the tension in his shoulders as he looked at both Carlos and Evie, probably imagining what had happened. They looked like they agreed with Evie's sentiment: replace the touch of Maleficent's henchmen, cleanse them with Mal's own touch.

"And that's what you all want of me?" she asked them anyway, asked just to be sure, asked to make sure they knew what they were doing, what they were _asking_. Because she wasn't going to do anything unless they all agreed.

Evie wanted to look at the others, Mal saw it in the way her neck twitched, but she kept her gaze on Mal. Mal, though, looked at the boys, at Carlos on the floor and Jay standing next to the wall, waited for them to respond.

"Mal," Carlos murmured, lowering the blanket, coming out from his makeshift cocoon, "please?"

Mal's throat closed; she'd never heard Carlos beg before, not in the hallways of school, not in the bazaar, not even when she witnessed Cruella's beating. Her gaze settled on Jay on reflex, wondering what he thought, wondering what he'd say.

Jaw flexing once, Jay turned to her, face blank, but she knew the storm that raged underneath the mask. "C'mon, Mal."

And her stomach sank, her heart racing. It's retribution, she thought, reminding her why she was even in the treehouse to begin with, and the more she thought about it, the more her doubts crept away. They needed this, needed to rid themselves of the foreign hands, foreign contact, and that's what they _wanted_.

Mal could give them that.

Stepping forward, Mal cupped Evie's cheek, gave her a light kiss. "Lie down next to Carlos," she said, trying not to be too commanding. "Spread the blanket out and undress for me, both of you. Get comfortable." She turned to Carlos, giving him a slight nod, trying to be reassuring. She watched them swallow but comply.

She turned to Jay then. They hadn't done anything sexual together, never done anything other than the casual contact that Jay supplied her, but now Jay looked at her, expectant, so she walked toward him, cupped his cheek and the back of his head, pulled him down and kissed him too, just a firm press of their lips. The tension in his shoulders eased a little, and Mal caressed his cheek when she pulled away.

His expression still held expectation, like he was waiting for something, for her to do something, and Mal, in all honesty, was at a loss.

"I need you to do something for me," she found herself saying, her thumb brushing against his bottom lip, and he nodded, ready and willing in a way she had never seen of him before. "I need you to take care of Carlos." She watched him blink at her.

She wasn't an idiot, saw how Jay tended to favor Carlos whenever it was the four of them together, favor his presence and contact, and she figured if anything could help fix this, help alleviate the storm under Jay's skin, it would be Carlos, and vice versa. So with that in mind, Mal began to peel Jay's clothing off him, made sure to keep his gaze as she did. 

"Carlos is more yours than he is mine," Mal said quietly, letting her hands run over his bare skin, mindful of his bruises. "Just like Evie is more mine than yours." She gazed at him as her fingers brushed lightly against his nipples, watching as he shivered. "Take care of Carlos for me, and I'll keep you both close." She waited, wondering how he'd react.

Jay only nodded, gaze flickering behind her, and for a brief moment, something sparked within them, an emotion gone too quick for her to name.

Turning, she saw Carlos and Evie sitting on the blanket, kissing just as tentative and slow as the way their hands moved across each other's body, hesitant in a way Mal had never seen them be with each other, and something in her cracked. Pushing it aside, she led Jay to the blanket, went with him as she knelt him down in front of Carlos, and their movement caught Evie and Carlos' attention, made them part, made them fidget in their marred nakedness.

Having none of that, Mal leaned forward, placed her hand on Carlos' flushed cheek and delivered a gentle kiss to his lips. "Jay is gonna take care of you for me," she whispered, tracing his jaw, "because he knows how to please you better than I do, just like you know how to please him better." She gave him another kiss, just a peck this time. "I'll be right here, though, watching you both."

Carlos shivered, eyes becoming glazed as he nodded, looking at her for more instruction, looking at her like she had all the answers. That something in her cracked a little more.

Turning back to Jay, running her fingers through his hair, she spoke, mouth one step ahead of her brain. "No penetrating. Not right now." She looked at them both then. "Go slow, go easy, get off just by each other's presence."

After seeing how they all winced when they walked, how they limped, after _finding_ them in the aftermath, Mal couldn't let them fuck each other yet, _wouldn't_ let them, and she was relieved when they both nodded. Placing a hand on both of their neck's, her thumbs smoothing circles into their skin, she gently pushed them toward each other, pleased when they bridged the gap on their own.

Jay kissed Carlos slow and steady, one hand massaging whatever skin he touched while the other pulled Carlos closer, and knowing that they would be okay for the moment, Mal focused her attention on Evie. Evie, whose watchful eye was trained on Jay and Carlos, shifted her gaze once she realized Mal was looking at her. She swallowed, and her body shook with small tremors, with either nerves or anticipation. 

"And you're sure you want my tongue?" Mal asked quietly, her hands softly stroking Evie's thighs. 

"I want your whole mouth," Evie murmured, shivering at her own words, and Mal felt that something cracking some more. 

She leaned in to kiss Evie, her fingers caressing Evie's cheeks and jaw, lingering a little as she sucked gently on Evie's bottom lip, and when she pulled away, Evie still trembled, though not so overtly. Mal watched her blink, followed her gaze when Evie looked at the boys, and Mal watched how Jay rocked gently against Carlos, their cocks sliding against each other, as they kissed, deep and slow. 

Relieved they were getting along without any trouble, Mal gave her attention back to Evie, dipping her head between Evie's thighs, kissing her way to her cunt, delivering long, broad licks, relieved once more when she notices Evie getting wet. She weaved her tongue, alternating between gently sucks and long licks that circled Evie's clit, and Mal looked up when she heard both Evie and Carlos whine, Evie's from what Mal was doing to her cunt and Carlos' from what Jay was doing with his mouth. 

"That's it, boys," Mal breathed out, using her thumb to rub Evie's clit as she spoke, "nice and slow, just like that." She watched Carlos moan as Jay sucked a mark into his neck, both boys rocking against each other, smearing pre-come over both their bellies. Evie shuddered above her, and Mal knew she was watching Jay and Carlos, too.

Mal returned to using her tongue on Evie, lapping at that wet cunt as she rocked her head, as she continued rubbing her clit, trying to match the boy's rhythm, knowing that Evie would get hotter from the synchrony, from the sense of four being one, and Evie moaned and shook. 

As she pulled Evie closer, as she used every trick she'd learned worked on Evie, as she felt Evie tense, Mal reached out to her side, reached for Jay's arm, trying to let him know that Evie was close, that he should try to get Carlos and himself off at the same time. She wasn't expecting Jay to take her hand in his, and she glanced up, tried to see what the boys were doing, just barely making out the way Evie and Carlos held hands as well, their fingers laced. 

And something happened then. The notion that they were all connected must have struck their minds at the same time because Evie cried out the same moment Carlos did, and Mal heard Jay give a soft groan soon after. Leaning back, Mal watched in fascination as those she marked as hers rode out their orgasms, more tense than she'd ever seen them, more out of breath, tremors coursing throughout their bodies. 

And Mal felt a kind of chill settle over her, any fire within her doused, her mind racing with all kinds of images, of Jay, of Evie, of Carlos, smiling and laughing and glaring and beaten and _crying_ and in the _dark_ , images of another boy she'd never seen, a boy too _clean_ and too _bright_ and too used to smiling wide, images of herself in the dark and in the light and in the _dark_. 

She blinked and shook, the chill crawling down her spine and snapping her back into the treehouse, and she had to force herself to breathe breathe breathe, trying to get rid of the images that had flooded her mind. A glance at the others told Mal that they were still recovering from their release, that they were still shaken up in more ways than one, and all she could think about was her mother's sinister smile, the way she commanded her henchmen, about the times other people had come at them in the past and tried to do what had happened tonight. 

"Never again," Mal said once everyone had caught their breath, once her mind had calmed. It was a promise to them, was a curse on her mother, a threat to the inhabitants of the island, and as she looked at hers, at those whom she claimed, as she studied their worn faces and shadowed eyes, as she saw them try — try and fail — to look relieved and relaxed by what she had just done and what she had just promised, Mal felt that something within her break completely, felt it chip away and crumble into dust.

Never again, she vowed to herself, the urge to shake and scream fading to the background as her heart hardened, as the rest of her grew cold. 

_Never again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from As long as You're Mine from Wicked and The Power in Me from Twisted.
> 
> [Just an FYI, I'm not tagging this as Magical Healing Cock because it is in no way healing; unhealthy coping mechanisms don't help in the long run. This fic has just gone from fucked up to beyond-help-fucked-up.]
> 
> On a lighter note, one of my favorite little things about the movie was the fact that Evie will fuck up your shit if you give her reason to: her reaction to Chad handing in her mirror, her complete non-hesitation in using the sleeping perfume during family day, her expression after Mal threatened Audrey and the rest, standing her ground against a dragon, etc. Never had a meme been more correct in relation to Evie: looks like a cinnamon roll but could actually kill you.
> 
> Can you tell who my favorite is? lol Conversely, my other favorite looks like they could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll: Jay. Because one of my other favorite little things is how caring he can be to his friends despite his attitude of No Team in I. Seriously, watch his expressions in any given emotional moment for any of the Core Four and you'll see. [Special shout out goes to the whole parent video conference scene: I tend to only watch Jay and, my, how that boy shows emotion and concern for his friends.] I've seen this damn movie too many times...
> 
> Okay, I'll stop ranting now, this update is already too long, and nobody wants to read my fannish rambling lol
> 
> Next chapter [hopefully a non-soul-emcompassing medium length chapter] the gang gets news of a certain proclamation! But before that, Maleficent needs to have another little chat with Mal and her _minions_...
> 
> Which brings me to another issue... **Dear readers, can I ask for your help?** What season do you think the movie takes place in? Does anyone care if I change it? (I'll be honest, in this fic, the Core Four will spend more than a mere month in Auradon before the coronation happens.)


	5. Children Will Listen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Careful the things you say. Children will listen. Careful the things you do. Children will see. And learn. Children will look to you For which way to turn, To learn what to be. Children will listen. Careful the wish you make. Wishes are children. Careful the path they take; Wishes come true, Not free. Careful the spell you cast, Not just on children. Sometimes the spell may last Past what you can see And turn against you... Careful the tale you tell: That is the spell. Children will listen..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liiiiiive. Okay, never do these four things: 1) work in the legal field, 2) work for the government, 3) work for both in the same job, and 4) all while going to university after work.
> 
> But, no, really, I'm alive! Running ragged but alive [and holy eff, it's almost been three months got damn forgive me! It was a hectic time! I've been working weekend overtime ugh shoot me in the face]. If you're still here, you're all sweethearts for sticking with me this long. But I have a feeling this will be where I lose most of y'all.
> 
> This is the chapter that did NOT want to get written. Mainly because I did not want to write it. That's your first clue that this chapter exceeds the terribleness of the previous chapters. Probably combined [because it showcases how terrible the villains are as well as how terrible the _heroes_ can be]. However, this is also the chapter where _nearly all_ of the plot heavy information is revealed/touched on, as everything else from this point on will draw back to this chapter [yes, even that scene].
> 
> That being said... **There is incestuous rape in this chapter.** I _cannot_ make my usual statement of the writing being non-graphic this time, as the graphic nature is needed for the plot, so for those of you who don't want to see it -- and, this time, I do strongly suggest not reading it -- I've put the scene between a set of these: ***. Control f [or command f for you mac users] those three asterisks to skip the scene. I'm not going to mince words here: this scene isn't pretty and can be extremely triggering, especially since it happens to the POV character. 
> 
> In the end notes, I've supplied a non-graphic [or, at least, less graphic] summary of why that scene occurs, again placed between a set of triple asterisks, for those of you who don't want to read the actual scene but want to know, from a story standpoint, why it's there.
> 
> Speaking of story, I've signed up for the [Small Fandom Bang](http://smallfandombang.livejournal.com/profile), so I'll be using that to write the sequel [which, just like this fic, is already outlined, weh, save me from myself I'm writing two stories simultaneously]. Good news there is that no one will have to wait for me to update and will be able to read the monster of a fic in one go. Bad news there is that posting won't begin until April, so yeah... But I might not have to worry about that depending on whether or not I lose all readership this chapter. Ahaha.
> 
> Also, just to get it out of the way now, from here on out, everyone should expect a sex scene per chapter. Maybe more than one per chapter, of various lengths, due to the fact that the Core Four view sex as different things [self-worth, comfort/coping mechanism, self-harm, addiction, etc]. I'll no longer be warning for it unless it involves something particularly kinky or triggering, so just be aware of that Archive Warning of Underage, as well as the other tags. [This goes without saying, but I'll always warn for rape or non-con actions, as that shouldn't be categorized as sex. Because it isn't.]
> 
> Once again, this is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are my own! But I do want to give a shout out to my friend DW for giving this a coherency check even though she's not in the fandom <3 And feel free to tell me if I need to tag something I've missed! [This chapter was not the non-soul-emcompassing medium length chapter I had wanted. In fact, it was QUITE the opposite why this brain why do you hate me]

Mal would never admit it to anyone, but the treehouse was becoming something of a comfort to her. It'd been a week since Maleficent had issued her order, since Mal had gathered Carlos, Evie, and Jay in the aftermath, since she had vowed to protect her claim, and though they were quieter, more reserved than usual, Mal was relieved to find them acting normal, breathing easier.

It had to do with the way she dealt with their parents, Mal supposed.

Cruella had pitched a fit, her shouts explosive, when she realized Carlos was neglecting his chores, causing Carlos to panic, but Mal had showed up at her front door, had calmly enlightened the woman that she had borrowed Carlos for the time being, had made a not so thinly veiled threat that, should Cruella continue to holler for all the island to hear, Mal wouldn't mind in the least in helping remove her tongue.

Cruella had glared daggers but remained silent since.

The Evil Queen, outraged that Evie had gone from her room, nearly tore apart the castle, but when Mal showed up at her door, smiling sweetly and thanking the queen for her daughter's skills in sewing, applying all the sweet talk maneuvers she'd learned from Jay, Evil Queen calmed some, dealing out nonsense compliments directed at Mal's supposed beauty in order to further gain her favor.

Mal felt the Evil Queen's glare as she left.

Jafar was a little harder to throw off. He was distrustful of everyone, looked down on most, and wouldn't be satisfied unless Jay supplied him with wares for his shop, so Mal had used a desperate measure. When she met Jafar, when she informed him that she borrowed Jay for a little while, Mal handed over trinkets, things from her personal thieving collection, as well as some finer things that Evie and Carlos had offered from their mothers' houses.

(Jay had been uncomfortable with that, oddly, but they all convinced him it was fine, that it was for something more important.)

His expression was still wary and put off, but the glint in Jafar's eyes told Mal he wouldn't be a bother for another few days.

So the three had peace that week, and Mal was glad, not even minding it when she had to go out and steal extra food that she normally would have.

But she couldn't help but feel as if they were judging her, watching her, analyzing every little thing she did, couldn't help but feel that they were hesitant around even each other but especially her, that they were keeping what little distance they could.

She didn't blame them for that, would have called them crazy if they _didn't_ , but still... There might have been a minuscule part within her that was hurt by their behavior, but she ignored it, called herself idiotic for even entertaining the possibility of her feeling such a thing.

Come morning, they would finally return to school, and Mal couldn't help but wonder how they would react to being around so many people after a week of isolation, herself included. Not that she had issues with crowds, given that she had to steal at the bazaar to make sure hers ate, to make sure they survived, but Mal, if she were being honest with herself, had no idea how she'd react to them being around people again.

She might cut someone for just looking at them oddly.

Once again, she wondered why she ever agreed to this arrangement. It only seemed to bring her headaches.

And it only seemed to cause those around her more pain than they already went through.

—

Mal felt uneasy.

Earlier that morning, as she left for school, returning to the tower the first time since what had happened to Jay, Evie, and Carlos, her mother was actually there, lounging in their great room, watching Mal leave with her usual indifference, but her eyes... They nearly glowed.

All throughout her classes, that unease swam inside of Mal, churned and boiled whenever she remembered her mother's expression, and it only worsened when she looked at Jay, Evie, or Carlos. It didn't help that they weren't completely themselves yet.

Carlos was quieter than usual, and that was saying something since before their little arrangement he barely said a word. Ever since Evie came along, though, the two could be seen in conversation, sometimes very lively conversation, over whatever nonsense excited them that day; Evie had done wonders with cracking Carlos' shell, but now, neither one seemed too thrilled to exchange words of any kind, and if they did, it was only when words were necessary.

Jay almost could have fooled her, if she didn't know him, how he operated, or what had happened. He grinned like always, stole treasures when he had his target's attention elsewhere, was light on his feet and carefree in his movements. His act was so flawless that Mal wondered, with growing dread, how he had managed to perfect it, and when.

But in their last class, the class they all shared together, his demeanor changed. It was subtle, but he turned himself away from them, kept them at a distance, all with his smile still in place.

No one else in their school noticed any difference in their behavior, still regarding them with fear, especially since, even after a year later, Cortor _still_ had trouble walking.

The whole scenario drove Mal crazy, made her feel like she was the only one who knew something was off in the world, and it was made worse when the three of them went their separate ways when the bell droned.

If they were going to do their own thing, then so was she.

Walking the bazaar usually put her in a calmer mood — nothing like stealing and scaring people to make her feel at ease — but each step only increased the foreboding within her, and she even picked up an lead pipe she saw lying around, just in case someone tried to start something with her.

But, as she turned one of the crooked street corners, it turned out her sense of foreboding was off. _She_ wasn't the target. The others were.

As evidenced by the fact that she had just stumbled upon a scene that made her blood boil: two of her mother's Goons had pushed Evie and Carlos against a wall, closing in on them, trapping them.

It felt like the scene was happening in slow motion as Mal watched both Evie and Carlos freeze up, terror openly on Evie's face while Carlos remained gutwrenchingly blank, almost as if they both were resigned to what was to come, and just like that, time caught up, and Mal was moving.

Livid, Mal swung her lead pipe with all her strength, catching one of the Goons in the face. As he crashed to the ground, face broken and bloody, Mal glared at the other, her eyes glowing emerald. "If I so much as hear that you touched them again without their or _my_ permission, I'll personally see to it that you _beg_ for death." She took a step closer. "And I promise you, it won't come no matter how hard you beg."

Cowering, honest to God cowering, the brutes ran, just a couple of dogs with their tails between their legs. A swell of pride coursed over her, that she caused such big men to run scared giving her a head rush.

It lessened some, though, when she noticed how Evie and Carlos stared at her, wide-eyed.

Out the corner of her eye, Mal noticed Jay slip away from an alleyway, and Mal wondered if some Goons had been after him as well. Turning, Mal glanced up at her mother's tower, and the sight that met her gaze sent a chill down her spine.

Maleficent stood on the balcony, looking down over the bazaar, looking right at Mal, with a smirk on her face, cruel and twisted. Without any other acknowledgement, Maleficent turned and disappeared into her tower, leaving Mal with a sense of dread.

Her mother had never showed such interest in her before, never stuck around long enough for Mal to know she _was_ there, but now... Seeing Maleficent up on that balcony, that calculating smirk on her face, Mal knew that she would be seeing more of her mother, that Jay, Evie, and Carlos would be seeing more of her henchmen.

She's testing me, testing my _minions_ , Mal thought, the cold stab of realization piercing her chest. It took everything she had not to shake with the building fury bubbling inside her, and she glared at the tower, her grip on the lead pipe tightening with the urge to fight.

"Let's go," Jay said, bringing her out of her wrath induced haze. His words were spoken softly despite the fact that the area of the bazaar they were in had cleared out the moment after Mal issued her threat, after Mal made her claim known to all.

"Where?" Mal asked, trying to will herself calm, as she tossed the pipe aside. She didn't need to carry her fury with her. For the moment, anyway.

"The treehouse. We need to talk." With that, Jay moved, his eyes scanning the streets, taking point for once, and that was enough to get Mal to follow him.

He never led, usually preferring to leave that to Mal as he liked to cover their backs in case anyone tried to sucker punch them. She gestured for Evie and Carlos to follow Jay, and something clenched in her stomach at how quickly they complied, at how they scrambled to keep up with Jay, at the way Evie kept glancing over her shoulder back at Mal.

They couldn't reach the treehouse fast enough, in Mal's opinion, and the sight of the damn thing nearly made her sigh with relief. She watched as Jay let Carlos and Evie go up first, watched as he regarded her, studied her, before climbing up himself, and that was another thing that Jay rarely did, turning his back on people, even them.

Mal felt uneasiness creep deep inside her as she followed, as she pulled herself into the treehouse, as she watched Evie and Carlos sit on the floor, next to each other but not in each other's space, watched Jay watch her.

"So," Jay began once they were all settled, addressing Mal, "I didn't really believe you before. But now I do." His seriousness, as usual, threw Mal off a bit, but when she realized that he looked slightly apologetic, his words, their meaning, hit her hard.

"You thought I had something to do with it?" Mal asked, more for her own clarification, to make sure she correctly understood the situation. 

"Yeah," Jay said with a half-hearted shrug, unashamed; it was a quality she liked in him. "But after seeing you today, I believe you."

Carlos and Evie relaxed, leaning into each other in a way they hadn't all day, hadn't in the last few _days_ , and they looked at her with something like relief on their faces.

Realization hit, why they had been so shifty around her. "You were planning on breaking the arrangement," she said, refraining from balking at the mere idea that Jay would have really gone to war with her.

The nervousness returned to Evie's bearing, and Carlos swallowed as he looked between Jay and Mal.

"Do you blame me?" Jay asked, still not offended or worried, just honest. The only reason she knew he wasn't faking his calm was because his hands were still and steady.

So she gave an honest answer in return. "No. Probably would have kicked your ass if you weren't planning it."

A small grin appeared on his face, nowhere near as bright as his usual ones but still just as genuine.

And just like that, the tension left the treehouse, left as if it had never been there to begin with, and Mal watched as Carlos and Evie breathed with relief, smiling, at Jay, at Mal, at each other. If she tried hard enough, Mal could almost make herself believe that Maleficent had never interfered in their lives.

"So you would have protected them from me," Mal continued, nodding a little, perhaps a little proud to know that Jay had things under control.

His grin fading, Jay shook his head. "No," he answered, gaze flickering to the younger pair, "just Carlos."

"What," Mal said flatly, eyes narrowing. "Why—" 

"Before you get pissy at me," Jay interrupted, hands held up in surrender, "I did offer."

Confused, Mal turned to Evie, raising an eyebrow.

Evie blushed. "Well... I wouldn't have minded, you know, staying yours..."

And suddenly Evie's odd behavior made even more sense, the reason why she hadn't had much conversation with Carlos: she'd been trying to distance herself from Carlos in preparation for the split. "But Carlos was the reason you wanted to join the arrangement," Mal said, trying to understand the workings of Evie's mind. "Why give that up for someone who might have thrown you to the wolves?"

Uncomfortable with the attention, Evie fidgeted, silently swallowing. "You said it yourself, didn't you," she whispered, keeping Mal's eye contact despite how she fidgeted. "Carlos is more Jay's, and I'm more yours."

"But that's in terms of me and Jay," Mal argued, unsure why this was eating at her. "In terms of me and Carlos? Carlos has more of you."

"I don't have anyone," Carlos said, quiet and quick.

"That's not true," Jay and Evie said practically at the same time, blinking at each other.

Mal pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes as she took in a breath. "Please tell me we do not have to put this shit down in writing." A silence followed her words, and she opened her eyes to see the three of them blinking thoughtfully at her.

"That's not a bad idea, actually," Jay said.

"I was kidding!" She didn't need to see a chart of how much Jay preferred them over her.

"We can discuss it in my room," Evie said brightly, already moving to the floor hatch.

Jay scrunched up his nose. "Why your room?"

"Because we've all spent a week here. Time for a little change of scenery. I'll have to face my mother eventually." Evie made a face. "Actually, give me an hour before you come." She leaned in to kiss Carlos' and Jay's cheeks. "Everyone remembers the way, right," she said to Mal before kissing her cheek as well. "Try not to be too bored while you wait." And with a wink, Evie disappeared down the rope ladder.

Eyebrow raised, Mal turned to the boys, somewhat amused at the blush on Carlos' cheeks. "I seriously wonder why I agreed to all this." She felt like she couldn't keep up with this group, couldn't keep up with all the emotional ups and downs they went through, like it was so easy to switch back and forth, to openly show what they were feeling.

But if they didn't want to talk about Maleficent's order anymore, Mal was fine with that.

"Me too," Jay said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"We all know why you agreed to it," Mal said with a roll of her eyes. She still didn't get why Carlos fascinated him so much. But, to be fair, she also didn't get why Evie fascinated _her_ so much.

Grinning, Jay shook his head. "No, I meant I wonder why _you_ did."

Mal shrugged. Doesn't matter anymore, it's too late to go back on it now, she thought, remembering her mother's face, her words, remembering her own words of _never again_. The pieces were positioned, and now it was simply a game of chess between her and Maleficent, and the stakes were growing too great.

"How long's it been since you've been to Evie's?" Jay asked her, bringing her out of her musings.

"Don't really see why that's your concern," Mal said, eyebrow raised.

"Carlos goes practically every night," Jay continued, grinning.

Mal snorted at the way Carlos turned red. "And he thinks he doesn't have anyone." Though, now that they were talking about it, she wondered how often Jay spent the night at Evie's; he and Evie got along so well, after all, and they had had a whole year to get cozy with each other, so she couldn't see Jay _not_ spending the night more often.

"You know," Carlos said, voice a little too loud, which only served to turn his cheeks redder, "Evie was the one who invited me."

"And you invited Jay here," Mal said flatly. "What's your point?"

"Can you not go at each other just yet," Jay said with a sigh as he collapsed on the blanket.

"Rather Carlos go at you instead?" Mal guessed, sitting on the floor.

Jay smirked. "Wouldn't mind that."

"If you're going to fuck, do it now so we don't keep princess waiting."

Chuckling, Jay waved the matter away. "And deprive her of seeing Carlos come? Nah."

"Jay!"

Mal refrained from showing her amusement.

Those two were idiots.

—

"Welcome," Evie greeted them, already in her nightgown, smiling warmly as she gave her little curtsy when they stepped down from the window.

Mal had been bracing herself, a little, considering the last time she was here, Evil Queen had destroyed the room, but when she entered, Mal saw only the barest of traces of the previous destruction. Evie must have worked herself into a fury to get things straightened out. Mal shared a glance with Jay, but he merely blinked at his surroundings, shrugging — his way of saying he noticed something was off but didn't want to comment on it.

"I-I know it needs more tidying," Evie said, ever noticing things, and she fidgeted, glancing at what little mess she hadn't gotten to cleaning.

Sometimes, the way Evie's eyes catch everything unsettled Mal.

"It looks fine. Though, don't think I'm ever gonna get used to that canopy," Jay said, a smirk on his lips.

"She was saying that for Mal," Carlos said, quiet as he sat on the edge of the bed, but he looked stricken when Evie turned her attention on him, as if he didn't realize he'd spoken out loud.

Mal studied the way Evie kept her face carefully blank, despite the fact that she was trembling slightly, as she faced Mal again, and Mal was struck with the thought that this girl, this girl who could have made arrangements with any other person and probably been far better off, had chosen to stay Mal's in the event of a split. It didn't make any sense. "This room doesn't suit you, even if impeccably clean," Mal said finally, watching as Evie's blank mask began to crumble, so she continued, "you need something a lot grander."

It was a thought that had always been on her mind, but Mal wondered what made her finally voice it tonight.

Blinking in surprise, Evie let a small smile grace her lips, slow but brilliant as she blushed.

Jay draped an elbow on Mal's shoulder, huffing in amusement. "And you wonder why she'd have stayed. She doesn't react that way for us."

Hands on her hips, Evie leveled a look at Jay. "I am not above kicking you out, mister." She raised her hand, index finger held up, when Jay opened his mouth. "And I'd keep Carlos here."

Carlos groaned, falling back on the bed and running his hands over his face. "Leave me out of this."

"Says the kid who thinks he doesn't have anyone," Mal said, sitting down next to him. Evie's bed was a lot more comfortable than Mal's, almost to the point where sitting on it felt weird.

Carlos furrowed his brow, resolutely not looking in Mal's direction, and Mal smirked, too amused at the fact that he had no argument this time.

"Oh, so are we really going to talk this out and put it in writing?" Evie asked as she too sat on her bed, on the other side of Carlos, and looked expectantly at all three of them.

Mal pursed her lips, cursing the fact that she had to open her mouth. "What's there to talk about," she said as flippantly as she could.

Faltering only for a moment, Evie continued. "Well, we all know Carlos has Jay."

Jay blinked at them, the only one still standing in the room.

"Do you deny it?" Evie asked, pulling Carlos up, making them face each other — though, Carlos looked anywhere but at Jay.

Eyebrow raised, Jay gestured to them. "Do you deny that he has you?"

Without missing a beat, Evie said, "No."

Mal tried not to stare. Evie had answered as if it were so simple, as if it were so easy to do, and Mal didn't know if she could take any more questions, if she wanted to know where everyone stood with each other.

But she looked at Jay, curious about his answer, curious despite herself, despite knowing that nothing good would come of it.

"Okay," was all Jay said.

"That isn't an answer," Evie said, expression stern.

Grinning, Jay shrugged. "No."

"No," Mal echoed, throat tightening. He might have been grinning, might have had that easy-going stance, but Mal didn't fail to see how his hands twitched.

Nodding, Jay walked over to the bed, plopping down next to Mal. "No, I don't deny it."

"Progress," Evie said with a smile, pleased as she nudged Carlos gently.

Carlos turned to her, a not-quite-pout on his lips. "And what about you?" he asked, eyebrow raised. 

"This isn't about me," Evie said, and she began to fidget.

Jay snorted. "And whose idea was it to have this little discussion? Besides, we all know you have Carlos," he said, flinging her words back at her without any heat.

"Now, wait one minute," Evie began, uncomfortable.

"Carlos," Jay said, cutting her off, reaching behind Mal to nudge Carlos.

Evie blinked at Carlos as he nodded, cheeks red.

Jay gestured to them, rolling his eyes. "We added you to this set up because he wanted us to. Of course you have him."

Evie stared, and Mal studied. Did Evie really think she didn't have Carlos, Mal thought, bewildered.

Mal blinked when Jay draped his arm along her shoulders. "You also have Mal," he said with a grin, squeezing her a bit. He laughed when she pinched his thigh.

"I do not," Evie mumbled.

"Yes, you do. She eats you out," Jay said flatly, holding up his hands when Mal punched his shoulder. "What? You don't like contact, and yet what do you do with E?"

"She touches you and Carlos," Evie argued, cheeks red.

"She tolerates," Jay corrected. "I've known her for seven years, and not once did she initiate contact with someone unless it was to kick, punch, or cut them."

"Thanks for noticing, Jay," Mal said flatly, "now shut up." She turned her attention to Evie, throat tightening at how still Evie became, at how she tried not to look too hopeful. "Fine," she said with a sigh, frowning, "yes, you have me, now can we stop talking about this." She pushed herself off the bed, needing to get some distance between them because it felt like she was drowning.

"I think we kinda need to talk about it, though," Jay said, because of course Jay was butting heads; he always did, was never afraid to with her.

It took everything in her not to pace, so Mal settled on glaring. "We don't need a discussion to know that you all have each other and I have no one."

Frowning, Jay shook his head. "Hey, that's not—"

"It comes down to this," Mal cut in, eyes narrowed, "if our parents gave the order to kill all but one of the others, who would you spare?"

She didn't want to bring it up, especially since it seemed like things were finally settling after Maleficent's order, but a part of her wanted them to think, to put themselves in the position she was in that day; it was a petty revenge to make them choose, but she blamed them, in a way, for whatever weakness was inside her that day that didn't let her choose between them, a weakness that had her picturing all three of their faces, a weakness that made her _want_ to save all _three_ of them.

"They wouldn't," Carlos said, face surprisingly fierce, brow knitted in thought.

"It's a what if scenario, Carlos," Mal said, a little taken with how his demeanor had changed, how calculating his expression became. "And of course they would, if we gave them reason." She had heard her mother, remembered the words _too lenient a punishment_ , and Mal refrained from telling Carlos, telling them all, that it would be so simple for their parents to give the order, to make them fight each other.

Evie swallowed. "Who would you spare?" She tried to keep her face blank, but her worry could still be seen.

Flexing her jaw, Mal spoke through gritted teeth, disliking the fact that she was even admitting her uncertainty. "I _thought_ I'd spare Jay. But I'm not so sure anymore."

Jay gave her a sharp, unreadable look.

"You can both say Carlos," Mal added, and, oddly, she didn't feel any of the contempt she thought she would, "because anything else would be a lie." Evie looked conflicted at her words, but Jay never gave anything away, kept his expression neutral.

"I'd be the one to die," Carlos said, his voice too steady, body too calm, not worried enough. Where had that fierceness gone? "I wouldn't be able to take any of you head on."

A chill settled over Mal, dug its nails in her spine as it crawled upward, as she stared, nearly dumbfounded, at Carlos. Carlos, who spoke like it was the only scenario that could be possible, had actually thought about going against each of them, had analyzed all the factors, had pictured how a fight would go down, and was _okay_ with the outcome.

Sometimes, Carlos unsettled Mal.

"Maybe in a physical fight," Mal conceded, throat closing only a little, ignoring the affronted look from Evie and the narrowed eyes of Jay, "but you could always build something that could take us out. What about that machine you're working on now?"

Making a face, Carlos shrugged. "Whatever I build doesn't work for long. And I'm not really _working_ on anything right now; it's just a side project."

"To break the barrier," Evie said, chest puffing out in pride on his behalf, her worry over choosing who to kill momentarily forgotten.

"Break the barrier?" Mal echoed, raising an eyebrow. She knew he was intelligent, knew he could make things out of all the scraps that the island had to offer him, but could he build something like that, something powerful enough to break the barrier?

"He wants to see if Auradon has more than the two channels that play here," Jay said, faintly amused, but he still studied Mal, still regarded her with that critical, assessing eye of his, and Mal knew he wasn't forgetting, or forgiving, the fact that Mal brought up the what if scenario. She was proven right when he said, "Mal, have you heard anything?"

She didn't need him to clarify; she knew what he meant. "No, I haven't. But I know Maleficent isn't done. She's going to keep sending her Goons after you." She didn't want to say it, especially because she didn't think it would help any, but Mal figured that letting Evie and Carlos know where they stood, know what kind of situation they were in now, would only be fair. "Breaking this thing between us might be the better option for all of you."

"And you think that'll end it," Jay said, tone on the verge of mocking, as if he knew her own thoughts. "You think someone like Maleficent is gonna forget a grudge?"

"The grudge is with me," Mal said lowly, barely restraining herself from baring her teeth. Why did Jay have to be so confrontational _now_ , when in the last seven years he would had just gone along with whatever she said? "She gave her order because she didn't like that _I_ claimed you!"

"Why do you always try to put the focus on you?" Jay said, standing now, getting into her space.

This time, Mal did bare her teeth, getting right in Jay's face as she snarled out, "Because if it weren't for me, none of you would have gone through that!" She grabbed a fistful of his leather vest, shaking him. Because he didn't understand, didn't _see_. "You wanna know what I heard? She called you a street rat, Evie a daft princess, and Carlos a runt! She said death is too lenient a punishment, which means she has no qualms with killing; she just likes making you suffer, which she _will_ continue to do because she said I was a disappointment for choosing you!"

She was seething. Curse Jay for forcing the words out of her; she felt so disgusted that she let go of his vest as if it had burned her hand, and even though she wanted to pace, to run, to scream and snarl and break things in her anger, Mal forced herself to remain still as she glared at Jay.

"Mal..." Evie murmured, concerned, tension in her body from her indecision of staying in her spot on her bed or moving next to them, wanting to comfort, to _please_ , despite everything that had happened.

It made Mal laugh, harsh and mirthless. "And the _best_ part," she nearly spat out, and this time she did pace, just a few steps before she could stop herself, "the _best_ part is that I actually _challenged_ her! I tried to go up against the Mistress of all Evil!"

"You did _what_?" Carlos asked, voice too high in his shock, in his fear, and Evie held onto his arm as they both stared at her with wide eyes.

"I tried to use my eyes on her after I found out she gave her order," Mal said with another sharp laugh, furious with herself for speaking so much, for revealing so much. "So you see, the focus _is_ on me," she continued, speaking to Jay, staring him down, "because I'm the dumbass who thought she could hold her own against Maleficent, and now she's going to make me pay the price by making _you_ pay."

Chest heaving slightly from the strain of keeping her breathing even, keeping her voice low, keeping herself calm, collected, controlled, Mal glared at them, at Jay, clenching her hands into fists in attempt to quell the urge to lash out and _strangle_.

"Mal," Jay said quietly as he stared at her, expression calm and eyes dark.

" _What?_ " Mal demanded, wanting to know what _else_ could Jay rip from her, what else he wanted her to reveal; her whole body felt like a spring waiting to snap.

Jay remained quiet, not answering her, as he took slow and measured steps toward her, bridging the small gap between them, arms raised slightly, hands open with palms facing her, non-threatening.

"What are you doing," she demanded again, not moving despite how uncomfortable she felt; if she moved, she really would lash out, would try to take a chunk out of Jay any way she could. Impossibly, she stiffened more when Jay gently placed his hands on her arms.

"Let me," Jay said softly, firmly, his face getting closer. "Let me." He watched her as he leaned in, but he left himself open, left himself loose and pliant, defenseless, telling her with his body, with his expression, that, if she were to do it, he'd let her attack and not take action.

So when his lips pressed against hers, Mal allowed it. She allowed Jay to pull her close, allowed him to press against her firmer, more passionate; she even allowed herself to open her mouth to his. She didn't know why, but Jay had a quality to him, to his touch, that broke her tension, that eased it away.

Fitting, seeing as he was the reason it was there to begin with.

Jay pulled away from her, only for a moment, as he bent down some to grip the back of her thighs, pulling her up, holding her against him and letting her wrap her legs around his waist, and he returned his attention to her mouth, keeping her securely against him as he walked her over to the bed.

With the ease and strength that came from years of basically living on the streets, from avoiding fights and winning the ones he couldn't, Jay climbed on the bed with her still in his arms, with their mouths still connected, walking on his knees, bringing Mal to the head of the bed and laying her down gently. "You have me," Jay said softly, leaning in for another kiss. "Mal, you have me." His words were firm, adamant, and his expression was open, sincere, serious.

It took everything in Mal not to squirm, not used to Jay leaning above her like this, not used to _anyone_ leaning above her like this, looking down at her like she was something precious, like she meant something, and she averted her eyes away from Jay's conviction.

It turned out to be a terrible decision.

Because when she looked away, Mal's gaze landed on Evie, on the way Evie had moved next to them, and Evie nodded as she took hold of Mal's hand. She brought it up to her lips. "You have me, Mal," Evie whispered, fierce and resolute, and she kissed each of Mal's knuckles.

Mal opened her mouth, a shiver running through her at Evie's touch, at her lips, but before she could say anything, Jay gently turned her by the chin, bringing her focus back to him, and he kissed her again, gentle and firm, his fingers tracing her jaw, her neck.

Blinking, Mal watched as Jay leaned back, as he briefly glanced to the side, and Mal's gaze followed, landing on Carlos. Carlos, whose cheeks were tinted pink, took hold of her other hand, brought it up to his lips, kissed the inside of her palm, and let it rest on his cheek. "You have me, too, Mal." His words, compared to the others, were a little hesitant, as if he shouldn't admit it out loud, but his expression was no less sincere, no less insistent.

"You claimed us," Jay said, using that same soft tone, and he leaned back down to place a kiss on her cheek. "Of course you have us."

"I never claimed you, Jay," Mal said, practically whispered. She didn't know why she said it, really. Maybe she wanted Jay to know that he was free, that he didn't need to be here, that he really could take Carlos and Evie away, that he could take them and protect them from her and she would let him. Maybe, a treacherous little voice inside her head murmured, maybe you just want him to stay around without the formality of a claim.

Mal tried not to think about that.

To his credit, Jay only faltered for a second, movements off by only a fraction. "Not publicly," was all he said, and he kissed her again. "Point is you have us, all of us," he continued, framing her face with his hands, touch soft and gentle in a way he had never been with her before. "And we're gonna show you."

Jay kissed her again, much more passionate than before, and Mal felt her nerves open, lit on fire from his touch, from the _feeling_ he put into it. She was vaguely aware of him undoing her jacket, vaguely aware of how his hands moved to her sides, how he pulled her off the bed slightly so that Evie and Carlos could take her jacket off, their hands massaging her shoulders.

"Stop," Mal said when Jay pulled away, regaining her senses, perhaps speaking firmer than she intended, but all three paused, looking to her for further direction, just like they had _that_ night; Mal suppressed a shiver. "I don't want this."

It felt uncomfortable, thinking about being on the receiving end of their touches, in a way Mal didn't quite understand, especially considering she had no problem with being the one who touched, who dealt out pleasure, but all Mal knew was that she did not want them to touch her that way, even if they didn't mean any harm by it, even if they only wanted to please; they please her just fine by letting her please them.

Hesitating, and it said something that he was openly showing his uncertainty, Jay pulled away. "It doesn't have to be me." His glance to Evie spoke volumes, and Evie even sat straighter, ready and willing to take his place.

Jay's words and Evie's actions actually made her snort, and Mal shook her head. "I'm just not in the mood," she said, speaking half truths. Like she always did. "I want to sleep more than anything." It'd been a long night, and she was more exhausted than she ever felt. Why did she have to have emotions and feelings?

Mal watched the three of them share looks, trying to have a telepathic conversation and not looking very successful at it. She took pity on them. "I'm not saying you all have to stop completely," she said.

"Oh no, I was just trying to tell Jay that I'm sleeping by your side," Evie said, polite and blushing as she looked at Mal. "But Carlos is sleeping next to me, too," she continued, smiling sweetly at Jay as she reached for Carlos' hand.

"Oh really," Jay said, amused, but Mal could see the tension that had appeared when Mal had said stop ease from his shoulders. "And what's to stop me from ruining your little plan?" His words held no real heat, his relaxed posture revealing that he had no intention of starting anything; he was just being Jay.

Carlos sighed. "We're all gonna be asleep anyway, why does it matter?"

"I could lay across all of you," Jay suggested, grinning wide when Evie narrowed her eyes, hands on her hips, and he actually laughed when Carlos hit him with a pillow.

They're all idiots, Mal thought, shaking her head as they continued bickering, trying to hide her grin, and she realized with a start that she actually felt _fond_ of them, that she was so relieved that they were all finally beginning to resemble themselves, that they had made it through the night's emotional journey bruised and worn but in one piece.

I do have a weakness in me, Mal thought, the admission making her sick, as she watched both Evie and Carlos pin Jay under several pillows, all three grinning like idiots, and she felt something in her harden, felt herself gain resolve: if it was to be a weakness, she would guard it, armor it, gain the strength to persevere despite it — because she didn't want to give it up just yet.

She had said never again, and so Mal resolved to ensure her words, her vow, rang true: never again will she let anyone touch what was hers, never again will she fail to keep them guarded.

Never again would she let someone call her weak because she wanted to keep them.

———

Evie didn't know what she did to deserve this, but she wouldn't change anything.

Most nights, the others, whether as a group or as individuals, would spend the late hours in her bed, burrowed under her covers to quell the draft of the old castle, wrapped in each other's arms or curled up against each other's bodies after a good tumble between the sheets.

Most days, they would all meet in Carlos' treehouse. They never neglected their duties to their parents, but more often than not, they would just gravitate in one of the two places, would just sit in each other's presence. Sometimes more than sit.

Evie enjoyed both scenarios.

They also spent more time together elsewhere, in places that weren't her bedroom or Carlos' treehouse, and Evie enjoyed those moments as well, particularly the trips to the barges when they arrive every two weeks.

The first time Jay had accompanied her to the barges, he had helped her stake claim, had helped her gather ingredients for her mother's beauty potions and for her own healing ointments, and Evie had never secured so much in one haul before.

With a grin, Jay had bowed and assured her that his services would always be at her command, and Evie had been so charmed and thankful that, as soon as they arrived at the treehouse, she dropped to her knees for him.

Evie didn't know she'd like getting on her knees as much as she did, but Jay was so _responsive_ , so easy to rile up and keep on the edge, especially if you knew his body, and Evie was a quick study. Despite how rough she was with him, though, he was always gentle with her, so gentle it was almost infuriating, but Evie liked that too, liked that she had to _work_ him for that roughness to come out; she always did like a challenge, and the end result, finally pushing Jay past the point of no return, was so, so satisfying.

And if she was rough with Jay, she was gentle with Carlos, namely because Carlos seemed to like it rough, and Evie liked pushing him, too, liked to be so gentle that Carlos _begged_. More than that, though, was the fact that Evie wanted to be soft with him, pamper and dote in a way she didn't want to with anyone else. It was almost startling how much she enjoyed giving that to Carlos.

Mal, on the other hand, was somewhere in between, mostly due to the fact that Mal liked to take the reins, and Evie had no problem with surrendering. Mal never left her wanting, even if Mal teased the hell out of her, she would always give Evie what she wanted, always give Evie the pleasure of release, several times over.

The only thing Evie wished Mal would allow her to do was return the favor, but Evie wasn't blind. She had suspected it before, but that night when, for the first time, they all shared her bed for sleep had only proved Evie's theory: Mal didn't like to be on the receiving end during sex.

Evie could sort of understand it, as the rush she got from bringing Jay and Carlos to release felt more than great, felt heady in a way nothing else did, but Evie also knew what it was like to have release pulled out from you, and that was more than great as well.

One thing she was thankful for, though, was the fact that Mal didn't seem to mind kissing. A full blown makeout session might be only occasional, but kissing was something that Mal indulged in, and it drove Evie wild; Mal could do things with her tongue, with her lips, that would leave Evie wet just from the mere thought, the mere memory.

And a part of her swelled with pride at the fact that Mal seemed to indulge the most with her. She kissed the boys, yes, but Mal really lingered with Evie, and that prideful part of Evie wanted to hoard that, wanted to keep it close, even if she always wanted to showcase it, to show everyone that she was Mal's, show that Mal indulged her the most.

But if she were honest, Evie wanted to keep them all close, keep them all pleased, so she could continue being part of their world, their circle, and so she did her best to please them, made sure their release was the priority, made sure to study them as much as she could get away with so she could be better, do more.

And perhaps what Evie enjoyed most of all were the times that she and Carlos worked side by side in his lair, silent and focused, aware of each other's presence but lost in their own little bubble. It made the dull task of extracting ingredients and mixing concoctions for her mother much more bearable, and she always liked to gain that impressed nod from Carlos whenever she contributed to his projects.

Of course, that also led to other things.

"Carlos," Evie all but sighed out one day, rolling off of him and onto the treehouse floor, chest heaving and body shivering in the aftermath of Carlos' release.

They had been waiting on Jay and Mal's return from a thieving, and since Carlos was once again babbling in excitement over a particular find Jay helped him acquire down at the barges, Evie couldn't help but kiss Carlos. After making sure the mechanical part was safely stowed away, it didn't take long for them to lose themselves in one another.

"Yeah?" Carlos murmured, voice a little slurred, body flushed and sated, and he lazily lulled his head so he could look at her.

"Does Jay ever fuck you from behind?" Evie asked, curious. It was a trait that she had noticed with Jay: whenever he fucked one of them, he always did so from the front, not counting the time when Evie rode his cock as she sucked off Carlos — while that had been a particularly memorable experience, Evie didn't count it because _she_ had initiated; whenever Jay initiated, he always faced them.

Carlos turned pinker, shuddering slightly, and he swallowed before speaking. "No..." he answered, brow creased slightly in deliberation — Evie had hoped an orgasm would loosen his tongue and nerves — and shrugged. "The first time, I got on all fours, but Jay didn't seem to want that. So. That never happened again," he said, matter-of-fact.

Interesting, Evie thought, considering the information; it was a little puzzling, after all: when she initiated, Jay accepted, but when Carlos initiated, Jay rejected. That was unusual. "Do you want him to take you from behind?" she asked, figuring that Jay might have been picking up on something from Carlos during their first time.

"Well... I tried a couple more times, but Jay just doesn't like it like that, I guess." Carlos' cheeks got darker as he added, voice a mumble, "Beside, I don't really have a preference."

"Is it because you like it when we can see your face?" Evie asked, blinking innocently as she filed the information away for later — because it had to mean something; why would Jay consistently reject that position with Carlos, and why only with him?

"Evie," Carlos began, exasperated and embarrassed, "why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

"Who says this is sudden?" She winked, grinning when he groaned.

"Looks like someone had fun while we were out," Jay said, grinning when they both startled.

"Didn't even notice us get back," Mal said with a shake of her head, eyebrow raised.

Stomach fluttering, Evie sat up, Carlos following a second later, and she tried her best to look appealing and contrite. "We were talking about how Carlos gets off to us watching Jay fuck him."

"Evie!" Carlos near whined, definitely a shade darker as he slouched in embarrassment.

Mal snorted, tossing a pouch on the workstation. "What do you say to that, Jay?" she asked, walking over to Evie, meticulously taking off her fingerless gloves, leaving Evie's throat dry and her cunt wet.

Grinning, Jay tossed his pouch as well, moving toward Carlos. "I think we can work with that," he knelt beside Carlos, already peeling off his clothes. "You game?" His voice lowered, practically a purr, as he sent a heated gaze over Carlos' naked body, causing Carlos' cock to perk with interest.

"Don't mind us," Mal said as she sat down, legs crossed, and she pulled Evie into her lap, pressing her naked back against her leather jacket. "We'll just be here, watching Jay fill you all night."

Carlos groaned again, falling back down, cock hard once more at Mal's words, his whole body flushing with arousal as he watched a now fully naked Jay settle between his legs, and Carlos spread them of his own accord, welcoming Jay, waiting, wanting.

"Don't take your eyes off of Carlos," Mal whispered in Evie's ear, and Evie had to suppress a moan, eyelids fluttering when Mal encircled her arms around Evie's waist, her hands trailing down to Evie's wet cunt.

And as Jay began to stretch Carlos, began teasing him to full arousal, Evie was once again struck with the fact that Jay had Carlos facing him. She did not, however, have time to ponder it too much because Mal's hands were too skillful, so deliciously distracting, and Evie and Carlos both moaned as they were penetrated, as Mal and Jay took them both.

With Mal's arms wrapped around her, with Mal's chin on her shoulder and Mal's hands exciting her body, Evie felt secure, felt safe, felt like no one and nothing could touch her, and when she looked at Carlos, at the way his mouth hung open in breathless gasps each time Jay moved, at the way Jay braced himself over Carlos like a shield, Evie knew Carlos felt the same.

Release neared, for both her and Carlos, as pleasure coursed throughout their bodies, and Evie didn't know what she did to deserve this, but she knew that she would fight tooth and nail to keep it.

———

If he were honest with himself, and he rarely was, Carlos would say that the last few months were something like bliss, even if he never really understood the meaning of the word — after all, the dictionary definition seemed foreign. And yet, he was more content with himself and his surroundings than he'd ever been in his life, even with his mother hollering out threats and chores, even with the aftermath of Maleficent's order still lingering in the shadows of his mind, the bazaar, even in his mother's house.

In some part of his mind, Carlos was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for something to happen that would end this break from his regular life, but until then, Carlos decided to take advantage of the situation.

Most days, like today, saw them hanging around his treehouse, either watching him and Evie work or simply lounging on top of one another, which sometimes led to some heavy petting — or more. It was always interesting, but it was always easy, too.

In more ways than one.

Thanks to Jay, Carlos had been able to gather a lot of building material, and at a much higher quality than he normally would have been able to get. It made tinkering so much easier, much more _fun_ , as most of the frustration of _why isn't this working_ was absent.

In fact, his haul had been so great that his little pet project of channeling more frequencies into the island was becoming more of a reality than he initially thought capable. And he was excited, honest to God excited; he practically bounced with his excitement.

He was sure this machine was the key, was sure that it could last longer than a day, and he might have been babbling a little to the group as he worked about the machine's properties, about its capabilities, knowing he was probably boring everyone but Evie, but he couldn't stop his babbling; he was excited, he was so close to finishing, so close to seeing if his theory of multiple frequencies proved true.

"You do realize that Mal and Evie are fucking each other and not listening, right?" Jay asked, amusement clear in his voice, cutting off Carlos mid-sentence as he leaned over for a closer inspection of the machine in Carlos' hands.

Carlos blinked, closing his mouth to listen, and sure enough, he could hear the slide of skin against skin, the breathy moans, the creaks in the floorboards taking place behind him. Blushing slightly, he stayed focused on the machine in front of him, his cheeks turning redder at Jay's chuckle.

"It's kinda hilarious how you can focus on that when two hot gals are going at it in your treehouse," Jay continued, leaning against Carlos as if he were a makeshift pillow.

"But I'm literally seconds away from finishing it," Carlos mumbled, making sure all the wiring was done correctly. "Besides, why aren't you joining in?"

"But you're so comfy," Jay mock-whined, leaning more of his body weight onto Carlos. He rested his chin on Carlos' shoulder. "It looks done to me."

Shrugging, as best as he could with Jay on him, Carlos connected one final wire, holding it up, inspecting it with a critical eye. It did seem complete, but the only way to know for sure was to test it. "Well," he began, glancing at Jay, "let's hope it doesn't blow up." And before Jay had a chance to reply to that, Carlos flipped the switch.

———

Five things happened in the treehouse in that moment.

One, the machine sparked before releasing a brilliant beam of light that tore through the treehouse roof, creating a perfect circle in its wake, that went up, up, straight to the dome above, and the tv blinked on, channels of all kinds flickering on the screen.

Two, Carlos dropped the machine when it sparked, felt the electricity around his hands, felt something _else_ enter the treehouse, a kind of feather-light feeling akin to the gentlest of breezes ghosting across his entire body that made him shiver, and he stared in awe at the tv screen.

Three, Jay held Carlos close when the machine sparked, felt protective and possessive in a way he hadn't been before, felt something _else_ as his mind began to cloud, something in the air prickling his skin, surrounding him, felt almost intoxicated with it as it danced across his skin, submerging his entire being.

Four, Evie paid no mind when the machine sparked, instead focusing on _another_ kind of spark she felt, felt it jolt her entire body into climax, felt something caress every part of her being, engulfing her, and she breathed in deep, relishing in her languidness, content and sated and yet wanting more still.

Five, Mal paid no mind to anything, too preoccupied with the feeling of _power_ , a silk smooth touch encasing every inch of her body, felt her eyes burn emerald of their own free will, and she felt the air grow heavy with it, wanted to capture it and hold it close, wanted it to never leave, as a brief image of a boy, too clean and too bright and too used to smiling wide, flashed in her mind.

———

On the other side of the island, just outside the mouth of a steep cave surrounded by a wall of thick iron thorn bushes, the stone raven that stood guard began to crack, narrow fissures slowly widening until the stone broke away with great force, the raven cawing triumphantly as it spread its wings. It took flight immediately, dived into the cave with great speed and plucked a scepter adorned with a deep green emerald, glowing bright and ominous, out from its perch.

With another mighty caw, the raven flew out the cave, flying as high in the sky as the barrier would let it. Peering over the island, the raven noticed the bright beam right before it extinguished, noticed the glow of the emerald fading with it, and because of its heightened sense of sight and gifted memory, the raven flew toward the source, eager to investigate, eager to report back to its mistress.

———

Silence filled the treehouse now that the beam had gone, each resident staring at Carlos' machine, at the hole it seared through the roof, at the tv that had come to life with so many different channels none of them had seen before, as they all tried to catch their breath.

After many long seconds — minutes, weeks, years, it all felt the same — a raven's caw filled the air, and it was as if a spell had been lifted, but Carlos refused to think about that.

"Carlos," Evie said, slow and quiet, a smile forming on her lips, "Carlos, you broke through the barrier!"

Swallowing, Carlos shook his head. "No way," he mumbled, eyes not leaving his battery. It had short circuited, ending the beam of light, ending whatever had settled over the treehouse.

"What you mean 'no way'?" Jay asked, incredulous as he hooked his arm around Carlos' neck. "You definitely broke through." He grinned, wide and bright, and he pulled Carlos close. "I mean, you had to _feel_ it." The words were practically breathed into Carlos' neck, Jay's face was so close, his hands slowly roaming over Carlos' body.

"Jay's right," Mal said, staring at Carlos, impressed. "Something was different in the air." Her expression changed, thoughtful, calculating, but no less impressed.

"I felt nothing," Carlos said, defensive, trying not to shiver from Jay's touches. His hands had dipped underneath Carlos' shirt.

"You're lying," Evie tsked, but she didn't look too disappointed in him. "We all felt it! Some more than others," she added with a dreamy sigh, her hands trailing down her own naked body.

"That was an orgasm," Carlos said flatly, and his stomach did a little flip when Jay laughed into his skin.

"Then do you wanna feel it, too?" Jay asked him, tone teasing as he kissed along Carlos' neck. "Wanna feel what we felt?" He kissed along Carlos' jaw. "Wanna feel what we feel?" Jay pulled Carlos into a kiss, passionate, full of hunger, and Jay moaned into it as his hands went to Carlos' pants, to his zip.

Carlos felt so dizzy. Jay was never this eager, this adamant, and Carlos felt himself grow with arousal, moaning when Jay finally let him breathe, focusing on sucking a mark onto Carlos' neck, and somehow, Carlos found himself naked from the waist down.

"How—"

"Gonna make you feel it," Jay murmured, sounding drunk, as he spread Carlos' legs, as he kissed his way down, nipping here and there, making Carlos squirm and shudder, and then Jay took Carlos into his mouth, just swallowed down his cock.

"Jay!" Carlos gasped, throwing his head back, his heart racing. Jay had never done this for him, and Carlos didn't know if he could take much more of that warm mouth, of that skillful tongue.

"Do you feel good, Carlos?" Evie murmured, her eyes half-lidded as she watched them, her hands roaming over her body, no urgency in her movements. "Does Jay's mouth feel good?"

Carlos could only moan in reply, gasping when Jay pulled away slowly, letting his lips drag across sensitive skin, sucking on the head before taking more of Carlos in his mouth, taking him all the way to the back of his throat, his nose buried in the patch of hair at the base of Carlos' dick.

Someone grabbed a fistful of his hair, and Carlos' opened his eyes with a start, unaware that he'd closed them. "Mal..." he moaned out, staring up at Mal, at her intense gaze, at her impassive face as she guided his head back further.

"Does he feel good, Carlos?" Mal asked him, so calm and composed as she trailed a finger down his exposed neck, over his adam's apple. "You like his mouth?"

"M-Mal," Carlos groaned out, shuddering all over. Mal's words seemed to be affecting Jay as well because he sucked harder, bobbing his head faster, fucking his mouth on Carlos' cock, spreading Carlos' thighs more, a hand of his traveling to Carlos' ass.

"Answer me, Carlos," Mal murmured, her caresses gentle even as her grip in his hair tightened by a fraction.

"Yes, yeah, yeah, it feels so good, Mal, so g— Jay!" Carlos groaned as Jay pressed a finger to Carlos' hole, teasing in time with the way Jay bobbed his head.

"Just feel it, Carlos," Evie sighed out, "just feel how good Jay makes you."

"Do what Evie says and feel what Jay's giving you," Mal instructed, fingers kneading his scalp as she cupped his chin, guiding him. "Look at how much he likes sucking you."

Thanks to Mal's hands, Carlos was forced to look down at Jay, to see Jay glancing up at him through long lashes, to see Jay's lips around his cock, to see the hunger in Jay's eyes. Carlos groaned, skin on fire and much too tight.

"That's it," Mal murmured in his ear. "You're such a good boy, Carlos," she said as she bit his earlobe.

Carlos' eyes widened, something like a spark igniting him, setting a fire within him. "F-fuck, I'm—" His groan was muffled by Mal's mouth, her kiss rough and deep, and Carlos _melted_.

"That's it, Carlos," Mal whispered when they broke apart, panting slightly, her fingers tracing his jaw, "give it to Jay, come down his throat."

At her words, Jay _groaned_ , like he was begging, and the fire within Carlos burned bright, blazed out of control as he cried out, as he released into Jay's warm, inviting, insisting mouth.

Evie had moved from her spot on the floor, instead kneeling next to Jay, petting his hair and holding his head in place, making sure he didn't spill a drop of Carlos — not that it looked like Jay had to be told twice; he greedily accepted what Carlos gave him — and her eyes were dark, watching Jay with something close to... _jealousy_.

"Well done, Carlos," Mal said softly, smoothing Carlos' hair down, and Carlos shivered, sated but confused.

Mal continued gently petting Carlos' hair, an affection she never displayed toward him before, her gaze drifting from Carlos to Jay and Evie, a smirk forming on her lips as Evie had to all but pull Jay off Carlos' cock, as she pulled him into a deep, lingering kiss, like she wanted it more than anything, like she couldn't wait, Jay not holding back anything either, kissing her with just as much greed.

Carlos was so confused.

What had gotten into them?

Why did he like it so much?

"You did so well, Carlos," Mal murmured, her hand still moving in his hair, and Carlos whined a little, not used to such open praise from her. "You made Jay come without touching his cock."

Shocked, Carlos glanced at Jay, and, sure enough, noticed the wet spot on the front of his pants. Carlos' throat went dry at the notion that _he_ reduced Jay to that. He couldn't believe it.

Mal's hand paused, and when Carlos glanced up at her, there was a crease to her brow. Slowly, she pulled away from Carlos, raising an eyebrow at him.

Belatedly, Carlos realized he was exposing himself, and he quickly located his shorts and pulled them on. Not that it really mattered, seeing as both Mal and Evie had seen their fair share of his dick, but still.

Evie and Jay broke away from each other with a gasp, both out of breath and both with the same little crease in their brows that Mal had.

"That was... interesting," Carlos ventured, cheeks still warm.

"I'll say," Mal said slowly. "Jay didn't even bother taking off his clothes."

Jay made a face. "I know. Gonna have to borrow your kitchen, man." He gestured to his come stained pants. Then he glanced at Carlos, face almost unreadable as he fiddled with his gloves. "You okay, though? Liked it?"

Carlos snorted. "I think I'm a little afraid to say how much I liked it." But he glanced at each of them, wondering what had possessed them to act that way. "Did, did you all like it?" he asked, tentative.

"Definitely," Evie said, still naked. She began to look for her clothes. "I thought that was pretty obvious. Mal even kissed you!" Glancing over her shoulder, Evie winked before continuing to get dressed.

Rolling her eyes, Mal waved the topic away. "It's not like I haven't kissed all of you before."

"Yeah, but that was pretty intense," Jay said, grinning. "Not to mention hot."

"Yeah, I can tell," Mal returned, smirking as her gaze flickered down and back.

Jay grinned as he took a self-mocking bow. "Like I said, I need to clean up before I head back."

"You're not sleeping over?" Evie asked, straightening out her skirt now that she was fully clothed again and trying not to look disappointed.

"Maybe later on," Jay said, kissing the back of her hand in apology. "Gotta head back to the shop. The old man's been giving me shit about stocking the shelves."

"Need anything?" Mal asked, face impassive in the way it gets when she didn't want to openly show her concern.

Really, if Carlos could notice it, she wasn't doing a very good job. But then again, he noticed that she only ever let her mask slip in their presence, so Carlos considered himself fortunate.

Jay only shook his head, that grin of his appearing on his face. "Wouldn't want you to ruin the fun of a challenge."

Mal rolled her eyes, which only caused Jay's grin to widen.

"See you cool cats later," Jay said as he made his way to the hatch, giving Carlos' hair a rough ruffle before he left.

"I really am going to hurt him one of these days," Mal said in exasperation.

"Really?" Carlos couldn't help but ask. She didn't seem like she would have any problem with giving that command, but Carlos wondered if, given how she reacted to Maleficent's order, Mal would actually go through with it.

But Mal only shrugged. "Maybe I'll just forbid the two of you from seeing each other for a week or two." As big of a threat as that was, her words had no heat to them; in fact, the smirk she wore was, dare he think it, on the playful side.

Carlos stared, wondering if he was imagining it.

"But M," Evie said slowly, sporting a playful pout of her own, "do you really want to deal with a moping Carlos and a pent up Jay for a whole week?" She sent a wink Carlos' way, and he blushed.

"Oh God, I hate all of you," Mal lamented, and she too walked to the hatch. "I'm going to drop by my room before I head over to E's. _If_ I decide I want to deal with the idiocy you three deal out." She glared at them as she disappeared.

Evie laughed quietly. "You know, I think I'm starting to get her."

"That makes one of us," Carlos said, taking note of the dreamy expression on Evie's face; he usually only saw that when the topic of conversation was princes.

A shriek of his name made Carlos freeze for a moment, and he looked at the clock, bewildered. Cruella shouldn't be calling for him this early. He sent an apologetic look Evie's way. "Guess I need to answer that. Meet at yours after?"

Though she looked reluctant to leave, Evie nodded. "Yeah, luck be on your side," she said as she let him get to the hatch first.

Yeah right; luck's never on my side with her, he thought as he descended the ladder, wondering what Cruella wanted with him now.

———

Before stepping into his father's shop, Jay took three deep breaths, a routine he had practiced since he had turned eight, that he practiced every year Jafar's birthday neared, and he made sure he didn't look too out of sorts, made sure no evidence was left behind of his time spent in the treehouse.

"I'm back," he called as he entered the threshold, ready to unload his scores, and froze.

Instead of coming out of the backroom where he normally hid his more valuable treasures, Jafar sat at his table, his favorite spot to count what passed for currency on the island, and he had his eyes trained on the door, on Jay, waiting.

Mentally, Jay counted the days, doubled checked the month, even though he knew his birthday wasn't until next year, but he had no idea what his father could want with him now, considering it wasn't Jafar's birthday either, not for another two weeks.

"Empty your pockets. We've been summoned," Jafar said as he stood. "And hold your tongue while we're there, or you'll be sorry come my birthday."

Suppressing a chill, Jay nodded, doing as told and emptying his pockets of the meager things he'd stolen earlier that day, and as he felt his father's disapproving stare, Jay cursed himself for not looking for better scores; he hadn't counted on Carlos, Evie, and Mal being such a distraction.

"Junk," Jafar said, a disappointed frown on his face.

Jay knew better than to tell him that the only thing for him to steal on the damn island was junk, knew that talking back would only lead to the back of Jafar's hand.

Or worse.

"Come, boy," Jafar continued as he walked out of his shop, expecting Jay to follow, which he did, his stomach churning slightly. "The fairy bitch calls."

The words almost made Jay falter, almost made him nearly stumble to the ground. Maleficent had summoned them, but why? Was she planning to give out another order, right in front of his dad? His nerves scattered, zipping to and fro at the thought, at the unknown reason for this meeting. His dad didn't know about the first time; Jay made sure he didn't know, but now, the possibility of Jafar seeing it happen first hand made Jay nauseous.

Jay entered the tower one step behind Jafar, trying to calm himself, trying to give off an air of indifference. It nearly broke when they walked into the main room to find Carlos and Evie, also with their parents, waiting for them.

Seeing them with their mothers, seeing how blank Carlos' face was as Cruella gripped his arm and petted his hair, seeing how Evie stood rigid as Evil Queen fussed with her appearance, made something twist in Jay's stomach, and he shared a look with Mal, saw the way she flexed her jaw, a tell that showed Jay that she had no idea what was happening, and they both didn't like it.

No one spoke, and the adults in the room kept sending glares to each other.

After what felt like an eon, Maleficent entered the room.

"Why have you called us?" Evil Queen demanded, causing all four of the teens to wince. "If you think I'd forgotten about that little stunt your henchmen pulled with my daughter, how _mistaken_ you are! What if she'd gotten impregnated by those filth? I'd be stuck with a grotesque little monster!"

Evie paled as her mother spoke, and by the end of the spiel, she looked sickly, weak, the complete opposite of the fiery girl Jay knew, her smile and confidence nowhere to be found, and Jay wanted to go to her, wanted to grin and say something stupid so she could put him in his place like she always did, so she could _smile_.

"Yes, the house was a mess for an entire fortnight because your goons were so rough with the boy," Cruella said as she lit a cigarette, narrowing her eyes. "Warn me next time you send your dogs" — Carlos flinched — "to my brat for some rutting."

Carlos looked ill, like he was going to throw up any second, trembling like he used to in the school hallways before Jay found him, before Mal and Evie came into the picture, and Jay had to clench his fists to keep himself grounded, to force himself to stay put instead of going over to Carlos and shielding him from Cruella, from everyone.

Maleficent only blinked at them before turning to Jafar, eyebrow raised, expectant.

"I have no idea what those crones are gibbering about," Jafar said flatly, raising an eyebrow in turn.

Jay froze. This can't be happening, he thought with growing dread. He'd done so well, managed to keep it secret from his father for so long.

Outraged, Evil Queen pointed a finger first at Jafar then at Maleficent. "You mean to tell me you didn't sic your goons on his boy!? What is this, some sort of former sorcerer pact?"

Maleficent walked to Jay, making him stand straighter, and she reached out to him, lips twitching when he barely suppressed a flinch, and took a lock of his hair between her fingers. "My men most certainly had their way with this one. You mean he didn't tell you, Jafar?" Something like a smile settled on her lips as she curled the lock of hair with her finger.

Oh fuck, Jay thought, his heart racing even as his blood turned cold, and he looked at his dad, at the growing rage on his face.

"You let another man touch you!" Jafar shouted, expression murderous.

Maleficent smirked, her hand trailing from Jay's hair to his ear, her thumb brushing the earring that adorned it. "It wasn't just _one_ man," she replied as she glanced at Jafar, her smirk deepening with cruelty. "He let _five_ touch him." Maleficent laughed, pushing Jay down to his knees, and he went so easily, his whole body like lead.

No no nononono, he thought, a constant string of the single word as he gazed up at his father, as he kept his face carefully blank. "I tried to fight them off," he heard himself say, as if he were far away; he never told the group how many came after him, how many times they used him, and though he wanted to look anywhere else, he kept his eyes on his father.

"The way I heard it," Maleficent said, too sweetly as she placed her hand atop Jay's head, "is he gave up pretty easily. You didn't train him well enough, Jafar. Or, perhaps, you've trained him _too_ well. " She patted his head before she walked away, amusement in her voice, in her chuckle.

Jay stayed where he was, kneeling in front of his father's anger, and stared straight ahead, not looking at anyone. He didn't want to see the expressions on the others' faces. And Carlos and Evie thought they were soiled, Jay thought sullenly, feeling numb all over, itching to go out into the bazaar and _beat_ something. At least they hadn't _asked_ to become filth, he thought, miserable, as he chanced a glance at his father.

He wished he hadn't.

"I'll deal with you later," Jafar hissed at him, words and expression holding anger, holding promise. He turned to Maleficent. "This is an outrage," he said, voice rising.

"Quiet, all of you," Maleficent ordered, waving the matter away with her hand. "Your pets remain undamaged. You're still free to treat them however you want." She held up her hand, eyes narrowed, when Jafar opened his mouth again. "Besides, as is my understanding, Mal has publicly claimed your spawn as hers. You have competition, Jafar." She smirked again.

Jay's heart sank as Jafar turned his murderous gaze on Mal, and despite how much he wanted to intervene, he felt glued to the floor, felt powerless.

"This pathetic waif dares to stake claim on what has already been claimed?" Jafar sneered at Mal.

Mal, much to Jay's dismay, narrowed her eyes, not backing down. "Watch it, old man, or you won't be waking up again."

Jay stared at Mal, shocked that she could issue such a threat to Jafar's _face_ , and he was even more shocked when Jafar flat out laughed.

"What an ignorant child," he said, dismissing her completely as he regarded Maleficent again.

"Don't think I can do it?" Mal asked, expression hard, tone icy — it's a tone Jay rarely heard; she was always so calm and collected when making good on her threats, and so few people caused Mal to really exert herself.

Jafar narrowed his eyes. "I know you can't, child. No one can kill me." The way he said it, the twitch of his lips, made it seem like an inside joke, the feeling made all the stronger when Evil Queen and Cruella snorted.

"What are you talking about," Mal said flatly, the corner of her mouth twitching a fraction, a nervous tell that Jay also rarely witnessed.

The atmosphere in the room had changed, could be felt as easily as breathing, and Jay held his breath, waiting for the axe to drop, making a mental note of the exits, wondering if he could get all of them out of the tower before anything _bad_ happened, knowing it wouldn't make much difference if he could: there was nowhere to go on an island underneath a barrier.

Maleficent stared at her daughter. "Have you wondered why I didn't have your little minions killed instead?"

Mal didn't move, just kept her mother's gaze, but her jaw flexed.

Maleficent's eyes twitched, and she moved, quick and ruthless as she grabbed Carlos by the arm, yanking him from Cruella's grip and moving in front of Mal, showing her the obvious fear on his face. "Do you know how to kill someone?" Maleficent demanded of her daughter, her hold on Carlos not loosening. "Do you know the spots on the human body that are the most vulnerable?"

"Mother," Mal said quietly, her exterior calm and composed, but Jay knew what was happening on the inside, knew about the bubbling emotions and concerns raging within her.

He knew because he felt them too.

Eyes narrowing, Maleficent snapped her fingers, gesturing to Jafar. "Your dagger."

Scowling, Jafar tossed the dagger he kept hidden up his sleeve at Maleficent, disgusted that she caught it with ease.

Dagger in hand, Maleficent pointed its blade at Mal. "Watch, oh daughter mine." And with that, Maleficent jammed the blade into Carlos' chest, right where his heart lay, and Carlos cried out the same time as Mal's hand reached out to him, the same time as Jay jumped to his feet, the same time as Evie brought her hands to her mouth, but they all froze as the color drained from Carlos' face.

Time stopped, and Jay looked on in horror, at the blade embedded deep in Carlos' chest, watched the blood stain Carlos' shirt, and all Jay could think was, please Allah not him not him not him not this please _please_.

But, despite the dagger, despite the blood, Carlos continued breathing, as ragged and raspy as it was, his eyes still shining bright with life, even though his expression was pained, even though he was terrified.

Disgusted, Maleficent pulled the dagger out, slow and measured, Carlos' pained whimpers causing her lips to twitch. "Don't get blood on my floor, boy," she said in warning, unconcerned, unfazed, by the fact that she had just delivered a fatal blow to Carlos yet he still _lived_.

Hands shaking, Carlos reached up to the wound, eyes wide when he noticed it was still bleeding, and he put pressure on it, his whole body shaking as he fearfully gazed at Maleficent, lost. But alive.

"What just happened?" Mal asked quietly, dazed now that the adrenaline of fear had worn off.

Jay knew because he felt the same.

"The barrier does more than keep magic out," Maleficent said as she wiped the blade on Carlos' sleeve before tossing it back to Jafar. "It also keeps magic _in_."

While it didn't make any sense to him, while he was glad to see he wasn't the only one lost, Jay was so, so relieved, so much so that he almost collapsed to the floor again, that Carlos was still alive.

Mal swallowed. "What do—"

"The Beast King and his little Fairy Wench have forbidden murder on this island. Why else do you think us villains haven't killed each other yet?" Maleficent asked flatly, and her words were followed by snorts from the other villain parents, the expressions on their faces saying that some had _tried_.

"But... Why forbid murder and not..." Mal made a face as she fished for a word. "Everything else?"

"Ignorant child," Maleficent cursed, glaring. "Because those in Auradon have no imagination, because they think death is too redeeming, because they are too _good_ to know how much satisfaction can be gained from _torture_." Her icy gaze traveled over Evie and Carlos, over Jay. "They are idiots, unaware of the consequences of their actions, of their little decrees, all because they couldn't be bothered to think things through."

"It doesn't make sense," Mal said quietly. "How can the barrier nullify magic except for that one decree or whatever?"

Maleficent narrowed her eyes. "The fools in Auradon tampered with a power that should not have been tampered with," she answered, and she looked... worried. In fact, she shared something like a concerned glance with her fellow villains, and they all looked uncomfortable and worried.

It made Jay's skin crawl.

"What if you didn't mean to kill someone?" Carlos asked, a mere murmur that was striking in the oppressive silence of Maleficent's tower. His body still shook, hands pressing into his wound, the blood lessening.

Sneering, Maleficent settled her gaze on Carlos, and the hair on the back of Jay's neck stood on edge. "While intent does have a lot to do with it, any kind of action that can be construed even in the slightest as murder is forbidden." She looked at them all, disgust plain on her face. "Why do you think any of you lived past infancy?"

Jay saw Mal flinch, saw Carlos pale, saw Evie lower her eyes, and Jay himself felt a little sick. Now he knew why the Evil Queen said what she said about Evie earlier: she wouldn't be able to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy, just like their parents couldn't get rid of them.

Jay wanted to throw up.

"So no matter how much you're starved" — Maleficent's gaze cut to Evie — "beaten" — those cold eyes flickered to Carlos — "neglected" — Maleficent stared at Mal — "or _used_ " — the corners of her mouth twisted upward for a moment as she looked at Jay — "on this island, beneath this barrier, you will live."

"By the Grace of Good King Beast, everyone lives," Jafar mocked, a scowl on his face. "Never mind what they risked for their foolhardiness."

"I don't know _why_ you two always harp on that!" the Evil Queen sniped, hands on her hips, mouth pursed with distaste. "Thanks to that decree, we'll remain as we are, and the power will lie safely dormant. What's done is done." She sniffed, turning her nose up. "Not like any of you don't enjoy the decree somewhat."

"Especially since we tested the limits of the decree ourselves," Cruella added as Maleficent opened her mouth. "The poor fools can't even take their own life to end their suffering." She cackled, a deranged grin on her face.

But Jay knew how to spot false bravado, and the Evil Queen and Cruella exhibited in spades. Well, Evil Queen more so than Cruella; Cruella's sinister glee seemed far too genuine.

(Jay refused to remember all the times he'd find Carlos in the aftermath of one of Cruella's tantrums, refused to think about _why_ Cruella beat so hard without fear of killing her little servant-pet, refused to accept the fact that Cruella knew exactly what she'd been doing, refused to accept that maybe, just maybe, Cruella wasn't as crazy as she seemed.)

"I _harp_ on it because it's relevant to our little meeting tonight," Maleficent said with narrow eyes. "We have bigger things to discuss."

A raven cawed.

Turning, Jay saw the blackest raven fly to Maleficent's awaiting hand, resting lightly on her knuckles, and Maleficent stroked its feathers with a sly smile.

No one moved for a long moment.

"How is that possible?" Jafar asked quietly, suspicious. "The three good twits spelled him stone. Powerful magic besides, the barrier wouldn't allow his awakening."

"Very true," Maleficent said with a slow nod, her attention still focused on the bird, giving Jay a chill. "However, for an instant, the barrier was broken earlier tonight." She gazed at them all, her eyes gleaming.

Jay paled, trying to take a subtle glance at Carlos. Looks like Evie was right, he thought, the revelation not making him feel any better. He shared a look with Mal and Evie, all three of them concerned. Carlos was in very real danger now.

"Broken?" Evil Queen repeated, skeptical. "How can you be so sure?"

"Besides the fact that Diablo lives again? He revealed it," Maleficent answered.

"You talk to birds," Cruella said flatly.

"I know my familiar like the back of my hand," Maleficent snapped, and the raven flew from its perch, circling the room, "and what he revealed to me is that your brat created a machine that broke through the barrier."

"Impossible," Cruella said with a wave of her hand. "He's useless. Can barely do his chores."

"Carlos!" Diablo cawed, mimicking Evie's voice perfectly, gaining the attention of the room, "Carlos, you broke through the barrier!"

Jay caught Evie's eye, and his chest tightened at how the blood drained from her face, at how guilty and concerned she was as she looked at Carlos, expression begging for forgiveness, and Jay felt sick, wanting but unable to help and comfort both of them.

Maleficent turned on Carlos, and he stared at her with terrified eyes, a hand still on his wound. "What did you do?" she asked him, tone leaving no room for disobedience.

"I-I built a machine," he answered meekly, hunching his shoulders, trying to make himself small, but he knew better than to lie, especially since the damn bird called him out.

"A machine," Evil Queen echoed, huffing. "Sounds dreadful."

"Everything's dreadful to you," Cruella muttered.

"What _kind_ of machine, boy," Maleficent said, loudly as she glared at the two other women.

Swallowing, Carlos shrugged. "Something to break through the barrier, using wavelength fr-frequencies, so there would be more than two tv channels on the island."

Jafar laughed, sneering at Carlos. "Such a mundane reason. He's nothing but a runt."

Maleficent turned to him, and Jay felt his stomach fill with dread at her expression. "This mundane runt," Maleficent began, sharp gaze cutting to Jay for a moment before focusing back on Jafar, "is fucking your brat."

"Mother!" Mal shouted, unable to keep quiet, but the damage had been done.

Especially since the damn raven chose that moment to recite, in a perfect replica of Mal's voice, "You did so well, Carlos. You made Jay come without touching his cock."

Jay watched in horror as Jafar lunged forward, reaching for Carlos with every intention of ripping him apart, Cruella's shouting incoherent to him as Jay focused on Carlos' terrified pale face.

"Enough!" Maleficent demanded, and the raven cawed and dropped something into Maleficent's hand, some kind of staff. Maleficent thrust it at Jafar, stopping him in his tracks and keeping him away from Carlos. "Do not touch him."

He never thought he'd ever be willing to kiss Maleficent's feet in thankfulness, but there Jay was, so relieved that Maleficent had distracted Jafar's rage.

Eyes narrowed, Jafar studied the staff. "The Dragon's Eye? It's awakened as well?"

"Only long enough to undo the magic imprisoning Diablo. That boy broke through the barrier, so he's not to be touched until he does it again." Maleficent stood her full height, and though she was the shortest among the villains in the room, her presence was nearly indomitable. "Am I clear, Jafar?"

Though the bloodthirst was still present in his eyes, Jafar nodded. "Transparently," he said snidely.

"If he fails to break the barrier again, you can do what you like with him," Maleficent continued, waving her hand.

"Mother," Mal said, tone as close to a warning as she was willing to go in the face of Maleficent, stepping forward, glaring at Jafar, at the way his mouth twisted into a sinister grin.

"Oh, of course. They're all _yours_ ," Maleficent mocked. "If you don't want your pet damaged, see to it he doesn't foul up. I want results before the month's end."

"It took him nearly a year to make that machine," Mal argued, digging her heels in, and Jay, like usual, marveled at her strength.

Maleficent narrowed her eyes. "Make him work harder."

Mal stood her ground. "He can't work harder if he has shitty material to work with. What comes on the barges is crap."

"He did it once, he can do it again," Evil Queen said, tone completely bored.

"What's wrong with the machine he used tonight?" Cruella said through a puff a smoke.

All eyes settled on Carlos, and he swallowed. "L-like Mal said... The parts weren't strong enough to, to withstand the current at a prolonged length of time. It barely lasted five, um, five minutes."

"And the hole it produced was barely the size of my eye," Mal added. "He needs more time and better material to do your task."

Maleficent remained silent, studying both her daughter and Carlos, lips pursing just slightly in her musings. "You have until the end of the year," she finally said. "I think seven months is more than reasonable."

Jay held his breath, wondering if Mal would challenge her mother again, and he glanced at Carlos, wondering if he could pull off this task.

Sure, Carlos was smarter than anyone else Jay had ever met, but Mal was right; trying to do something like what Maleficent wanted in the time that she wanted it done was a staggering feat given how all Carlos had to work with was broken and used scraps from Auradon.

"Fine," Mal said finally, jaw flexing in her displeasure, and though she refused to look at anyone, Jay knew she was trying to plan, plan for a more efficient way for Carlos to build his machine, plan for the moment should Carlos fail.

"And who is supposed to be doing his chores while he fiddles with all that crap?" Cruella asked, knocking ash off of her cigarette, a scowl on her face.

Maleficent waved her hand. "Him, like always." She turned to Carlos, and Jay had never seen someone with such an impassive face have such a cruel expression. "The way I hear it, he's quite efficient in handling several _loads_ of work." Her smirk could cut armor.

"Yes, yeah, yeah, it feels so good," Diablo recited, cawing afterward, as if laughing at the fact he used Carlos' own voice to mock him.

Carlos paled, eyes downcast as he swallowed, and Jay wanted nothing more than to murder that bird.

"If the entertainment is over, Evie's in dire need of her beauty sleep," Evil Queen tutted, once again fussing with Evie's appearance.

"And I have to have a few words with Carlos," Cruella said, snapping her fingers and gesturing for Carlos to go by her side, as if he were a dog.

Jay tried not to jump when Jafar's hand gripped the back of his neck.

"I have to have my own little _discussion_ with Jay," Jafar said, tightening his hold.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jay saw Mal stiffen, and he closed his eyes, not wanting to see her expression, to see Evie's or Carlos'. Just let it happen, get it over with, he thought as his father forcefully led him out the tower.

He didn't know if he should be thankful that the trek from Maleficent's tower to Jafar's shop was a short one or not.

Jafar backhanded him the moment they entered Jafar's shop, slammed him into the table Jafar loved so much. "You ungrateful little slut!" he spat out.

Wincing, Jay tried to make himself small. "Dad, I—" Another slap shut him up.

"This is the thanks I get? Getting the attention you so craved from me wasn't enough?" He looked disgusted. "You disgrace me by going to the de Vil brat!"

"I-I didn't!" Jay said, desperate for this to blow over, for Jafar to _forget_. "Dad, I—" He gasped, choking on his words, when Jafar's hands encircled his neck.

"What do you call me, boy?" Jafar asked as he leaned over his son, barely easing up on his hold.

Jay didn't want to answer, but the word left him regardless, his mouth moving of its own accord, just a breathy gasp. "Daddy..."

***  
Jafar sneered as he flipped Jay over, pressing Jay's face into the table. "Pathetic little slut," he bit out, roughly pulling Jay's arms behind his back, tying his wrists together. "How many men have you gone to?" Jafar demanded as he yanked off Jay's pants, kicking Jay's legs apart. "How many dicks have been _here_?" He punctuated his question by shoving two fingers into Jay's hole, dry and harsh, making him cry out. "Loose enough to just take what you're given, I bet."

"N-no," Jay panted out, trying not to squirm too much, trying not to bite his tongue off from the pain, from the shame.

"You didn't fight them off! You let them take you, let them use you. Did you present your ass to them? Did you _beg_? Is my dick not enough!"

"It-it wasn't like that," Jay groaned out, trying to keep his wits about him, and he pleaded, he begged Jafar to understand. "I tried, I _tried!_ "

Jafar didn't want to hear it, it seemed. "Do you think I like doing this?" he questioned, stretching Jay wider, thrusting in rougher. "Do you think I was thrilled when my son _demanded_ my attention?"

("I don't have much to give you," Jafar said on Jay's eighth birthday, looking a little contrite; after all, he had promised Jay a real birthday party, and seeing as it was the first real acknowledgement from Jafar in all of his short life, Jay had been hopeful, had been starving for it.

"I want whatever you give me," Jay said in reply, close to a desperate plea, and hoping Jafar wouldn't condemn him for it.

"Whatever I give you?" Jafar had asked, a hand caressing Jay's cheek, and Jay, so starved for affection, for contact, held onto Jafar's hand, making it stay in place. "Are you sure, my son?" Jafar asked again, his thumb rubbing circles into Jay's cheek.

"Yes," Jay breathed out, heart pounding in his chest at both the continued physical affection and the fact that Jafar had called him _son_ , a word never used to refer to Jay. "Please, daddy," he pleaded, the word flowing from his mouth unbidden, subconscious, and Jay stared up at Jafar with wide eyes, wondering if he had lost his chance.

Jafar, though, only smiled, slow and almost unnerving, and kept moving his thumb. "Daddy will give you a present, then," he said slowly, leading Jay to an armchair, "since you asked so prettily." He sat down, pulled Jay in front of him and tilted Jay's chin up, made Jay look him in the eye. "I will give the gift of your mother's favorite activity, so that you can feel close to her." His thumb stroked Jay's skin, just below his bottom lip. "Do you want that, my son?"

"Yes," Jay said with a shiver, the thought of Jafar including him, giving him a genuine gift, the thought of having something that could connect him to his mother, a woman who remained a mystery, a forbidden topic, a woman who Jay wished and wished he'd known, it all made Jay giddy, more desperate, made him _crave_. "Yes, please, I want that."

And Jafar smiled.)

"Who grew out his hair because he wanted to look like his mother, hm?" Jafar asked as he grabbed a fistful of Jay's hair, pulling. "Who wanted daddy's affection?"

"I-I did," Jay stammered out, ashamed.

("If your hair were longer, you'd look so much like your mother," Jafar had commented offhandedly one day, out of the blue, a month before Jay's eighth birthday, running his hand through Jay's hair for a precious few seconds, and Jay felt so bereft once those long fingers were gone.

"I can grow it," Jay had said, blurted it out in a desperate attempt at keeping his father's attention, and when Jafar had turned to face him again, when Jafar had smiled, Jay's chest swelled with determination, both to keep growing his hair and to keep his father's approval.)

Jay cried out when Jafar slammed into him, panting and groaning when Jafar didn't give him time to adjust as he kept thrusting into him. Jafar leaned over him, a hand clamping down on Jay's mouth, pulling his head up, just barely allowing him to breathe, and something between a laugh and a moan escaped Jafar. "You know you want this. You were made to be fucked, little treasure, made to be fucked by _me_ ," he grunted out, his grip on both Jay's mouth and Jay's hip tightening as he pounded into Jay.

Jafar kicked Jay's legs further apart, spread him wider so he could drive in deeper, and Jay groaned, half way sobbed, at the assault, at the way the edge of the table dug into his gut, trying to suck in more breath, trying to think of anything to ease the torturous mix of pain and pleasure, trying to ignore how hard he was. "Look how much you enjoy this."

Jay closed his eyes, squeezed them shut tight, when Jafar's fingers ghosted over his cock, and Jay hated himself for how he twitched with interest, for how much he wanted _release._

"If you crave dick so much, I'll give it to you all night long," Jafar promised, smacking Jay's ass hard enough to bruise. "I'll fuck you until my dick is the only thing you know!"

Too late, Jay thought, as fleeting as it was, as he pressed his forehead into the table, as he bit his lip to keep the noises in, as he tried, tried and failed, to block out the feeling of Jafar moving inside him.

"The de Vil brat can't give this to you, can't do for you what I can," Jafar panted out as both of his hands grabbed Jay's hips, grip bruising, snapping his own harsher. "He never will."

No, he won't, Jay thought, his mind going numb as Jafar continued. Carlos won't touch me again, not after finding out what trash I am, he thought as he moaned.

"Who's daddy's little treasure?" Jafar asked as he ground into Jay, as he hit that one spot that sent fire all throughout Jay's body.

"I am," Jay groaned, and he gave himself to Jafar, gave himself over to the desire that he knew deep down inside that he wanted, the desire he had asked for so many years ago. "Daddy, please."

"That's right, you're _mine_ ," Jafar growled out as his thrusts became erratic, became punishing. "Take all of it, little treasure."

As he felt Jafar release inside him, as he felt his own release building, Jay cried out, felt his mind break, felt a part of him that he'd been guarding so well crack and crumble under the weight of Jafar's release, of his own, and Jay blinked, shivering as Jafar pulled out but not away.

"We're just getting started, my little jewel," Jafar murmured as he caressed Jay's ear, as his thumb rubbed against his mother's earring. "Get on your knees and make me hard again, my pet."

As he sank to his knees, mouth open and waiting, Jay closed his eyes. I deserve this, he thought as he felt his mouth get full with Jafar. I asked for this, he thought, ashamed of himself for trying to get more, for moaning.

I'm nothing but trash, he thought as he gazed up at Jafar when Jafar put a hand on his head, as he still tried to press into the man's touch, tried to savor that bit of affection. Jafar's hand moved to cup the back of Jay's head, gripping him harshly by the hair, forcing him to fuck his face on Jafar's dick, forcing a moan out of him.

"That's it, little treasure, get me nice and hard," Jafar groaned out, his grip on Jay's head tightening as he pulled Jay off him, and Jafar led Jay to the armchair where it all began, left Jay standing as he sat. "Now, sit on daddy's lap."

Turning, head bowed in defeat, Jay backed into the chair, shakily climbed up, and lowered himself on his father's dick, groaning at how full he felt, at how deep he took Jafar in. The slap to his ass told Jay to move, so he did, trying his best to keep his balance as he fucked himself on Jafar's dick, fucked himself like the desperate whore he was, his mouth hanging open with breathless pants and moans.

Jafar, either displeased or impatient with Jay's pace, grabbed a fistful of Jay's hair, pulling Jay's head back, making him arch into a position that allowed Jafar deeper access, and Jafar thrust upward, his other hand pulling on the rope binding Jay's arms behind his back, the pain spiking throughout Jay's body until it mixed with the pleasure of Jafar's thrusts.

Jay didn't know how long he stayed in that position, didn't know how loud he got, his mind too numb, body too on fire, and it was only the harsh, chaotic snap of Jafar's hips, signaling his release, that brought Jay back to reality, that made him shudder as he felt his father's seed fill him once more.

"I'll keep breeding you deep so you'll never want another dick but mine," Jafar said through his panting, his fingers caressing Jay's chin, his nails scraping along Jay's adam's apple. "We have all the time in the world."

As he was pushed to the ground, as Jafar kicked him into displaying his ass, as Jafar made him spread his legs, as Jafar fingered his ass loose, Jay closed his eyes, trying to ignore how good Jafar was with his hands, how he didn't have to work him that much to get Jay hard again, how Jafar's touch had him trembling and swaying his ass.

Jay closed his eyes, giving himself over, giving up the fight, letting oblivion take him, letting Jafar have his way.

Just like he always did.

And the thoughts passing through Jay's mind before he let go completely were _you're filth you're worthless you're scum you don't deserve life don't deserve_ them _don't deserve anything but this just take it just take it just die just die just—_

And then the blankness of Jafar's twisted pleasure completely overtook Jay.

***  
———

Carlos barely left the treehouse. Evie, Mal, and he had gone down to the loading dock the day after Maleficent issued her task, and the three of them scavenged the barges, picking out anything that looked like it could go into making a better machine to break the barrier. It didn't feel the same without Jay, but no one wanted to mention it, least of all Carlos.

They made out with a decent haul, but so far, he'd been less than successful in finding anything that could really be of use. He glanced at the clock on his workstation; he only had three more hours of tinkering before he had to go do his chores, and he grimaced, dreading to see what new lows Cruella would reduce him to.

Movement at the floor hatch caught his attention, and he held his breath.

He released it, trying to push his disappointment away, when purple hair appeared.

"Here," Mal said as she hauled her bag up into the treehouse, placing it down gently next to him. "I grabbed what looked useful," she continued, shrugging, both frustrated and worried over their situation.

"Same here," Evie said as she appeared right behind Mal, setting her own bag down next to Mal's. She bit her bottom lip. "Do you need any help?"

You've been more than helpful, Carlos thought. Evie was the one who made sure both he and Mal had something to eat, made sure Carlos didn't miss his chore time so he wouldn't have to face Cruella's tantrums, soothed them both by talking about nonsense. If he had to say, Carlos would say Evie was like a lifeline.

Pulling the bags closer, he shrugged as he went through their contents. "Only thing that'll help me is a deal with the devil. Or a deal with something _worse_."

"You take that back," Mal warned fiercely. While Evie had been making sure Carlos took care of himself, Mal was the one who gave Carlos the motivation he needed, and while she clearly wasn't used to being someone's support, she stepped up to task without complaint; it was unfair of him to spit on that effort.

So Carlos winced. "Sorry. I didn't mean it." He ran his hands over his face, forcing himself to breathe. "It's been over two weeks," he whispered, and he tried so hard not to sound so worried, so lost, but he didn't know what to do anymore; he needed to bring up the topic. The task, Jay's disappearance, the pitiful resources he had to work with, it all began to fray him around the edges, and it was only the beginning.

How was he going to pull this off?

Evie glanced at Mal, and Mal's face remained carefully blank.

Carlos sat straighter, staring at her. "What? What have you learned?"

Mal narrowed her eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching downward, and Carlos found it so frustrating that he couldn't read her as well as Jay could.

"People avoid Jafar's shop," Evie said, speaking for Mal, her own expression growing stormy. "The things they say they hear coming from the place..." She shuddered, her expression souring even more. 

Carlos suppressed a chill of his own; he did _not_ want to think about what Jafar could be doing to Jay, but at the same time, Carlos just wanted to know if Jay was going to be okay. "Mal," Carlos began, already knowing that he wasn't likely going to get an answer, or like the one he would get if he got one, "did you know?" He took in the way Mal stiffened. "Last year, you said—"

"I know what I said," Mal snapped. "I've known Jay since we were eight." She scowled, but it seemed more at herself than at Carlos. "But no, I didn't know it was like that."

Brow furrowed, Evie glanced between them — this was the first time they were actually discussing it, after all. "But you said, you said Jafar did a _thing_ on Jay's birthday..."

"I thought he only beat him," Mal conceded, crossing her arms over her chest. "He used to show up the next day with bruises." Her scowl deepened. "It didn't occur to me the reason he limped was because of something else."

Not comforted in the slightest, Carlos turned back to the bags they brought, sifting through the contents, separating them into two piles: mostly useful and gonna-have-to-make-due. He tried to focus on the task at hand, tried to forget what he learned about Jay and Jafar, but his mind kept bringing up flashes of memory, brief images of Jay and Jafar, kept trying to taunt him, kept berating him for not picking up on it sooner.

"Carlos," Evie called, a hesitant hand on his shoulder, and she waited for him to look up, to look at her. "Carlos, you need to breathe." Offering a small smile, she squeezed his shoulder, giving him a light shake. "We all feel his absence..."

Instantly, Carlos' gaze meets Mal's, and though she scowled, he noticed how her shoulders sagged, just a little, and that gave him the mental shake he needed. Drawing in a deep breath, Carlos nodded at Evie, placing his hand on top of hers and squeezing, trying to show his appreciation without words.

Evie, thankfully, understood.

Movement at the hatch caught all their attention, and Mal crept toward it, brandishing her knife, waiting to strike the intruder, when dark brown hair pulled into a messy bun came into their view. Mal froze, and Evie and Carlos held their breath.

Jay pulled himself up and fully into the treehouse, his body _shaking_ with the effort, and Carlos stared in horror; he'd never seen Jay so weak, so worn, not even after Maleficent's order: dark circles rested underneath his eyes, making his face seem even more gaunt than it was, and bruises littered his skin, his wrists and neck marred with what looked like rope burns; his clothes were baggy, hanging off of him.

Evie moved first, rushing to get her make up box, rushing to get the creams she kept there to help relieve whatever bruises and scrapes they got from day to day, and Mal moved second, quickly grabbing hold of Jay, a hand at the small of his back and the other at his stomach, helping him stand, making sure he didn't fall in his exhaustion.

Carlos watched, transfixed, as Mal helped Jay to the blanket, helped him down and kept a hand on his shoulder as Evie knelt in front of him, already twisting the lid off the first container.

"I'm fine," Jay murmured, hoarse and ragged, barely above a whisper, and his fingers twitched, as if he wanted to wave Mal and Evie's concerned gazes away but was unable to find the strength to do so.

"Bullshit you're fine," Mal all but snapped, and Carlos watched her visibly collect herself. "When was the last time you ate?" she asked, more gently this time, as her eyes roamed over his body, inspecting, no doubt unhappy with how little meat was on his bones.

Jay's brow creased in thought and then in pain when Evie rubbed the ointment into his wrists. "Treehouse," he murmured once he caught his breath.

"You haven't eaten since the summons?" Evie asked, horror-struck, her hands frozen. "Nothing at all?" She glanced at Carlos, at Mal, that same horrified expression on her face.

Jay could barely lift a shoulder in his half shrug, barely had the strength to keep his eyes open. "Didn't swallow food," he murmured, and, incredulously, the corners of his mouth twitched upward, as if that was an _amusing_ thought, as if it was anything other than horrifying. 

How did he even manage to climb up the ladder, Carlos thought, chest tightening, and he looked at Mal, saw how murderous she looked, how her arms shook with the effort to keep them at her side instead of tearing apart the treehouse, looked at Evie, saw how her face had molded into a perfect blank mask, her movements precise and clinical as she finished applying the cream and ointments to Jay's skin.

Once Evie was done, Jay let out a shuddering breath. "So. What do you need me to do?" He blinked at them, the action so agonizingly slow.

"Jay," Evie began, voice gentle, but Mal didn't want to play that way.

"You're not doing anything," Mal said, practically commanded, as she got up, her whole body twitching, almost as if she wanted to pace.

"Carlos only has until the end of the year," Jay pointed out, trying to stare Mal down, but the effect was lost; with how hoarse his voice was, how sickeningly thin he was, how he barely had the strength to glare, he only made himself seem even more pathetic, only made how changed he was more apparent. "The barges, I can—"

"You're useless as you are now," Mal cut in, tone still cold, eyes narrowed. "What help can you be to our cause?"

"Mal..." Carlos began, but he closed his mouth with an audible click when she glared at him before returning her attention to Jay, who was stubbornly trying to hold his ground.

Despite the fact that he could barely keep his eyes open.

"It's going to go like this: you stay here and _rest_ , Evie's going to keep watch, Carlos is going to continue working, and I'm going to get food. None of you are going to complain." Mal stared Jay down, stared them all down, daring them to challenge her.

Carlos would be frightened if he didn't know how much she was worried, if he didn't know how much all of them were worried.

After a long, slow blink, Jay relented. "Whatever you say, Mal," he mumbled, finally closing his eyes, deflating.

Mal nodded, gesturing for Evie to keep watch over Jay, and Mal moved, gathering up one of the empty sacks, checking to make sure her knife was in its place before walking over to Carlos. She grabbed his chin, made him look her in the eye. "Be strong," she whispered fiercely. "Just for the moment, be strong." A briefest of thumb brushes later, Mal left him.

Carlos watched her go, mind reeling. How was he supposed to be strong in a time like this? When was he ever strong? Jay was the strong one, the one whose physical strength was both marveled at and feared by a sizable portion of the island, and look at him now, frail and sickly in a way that no one on the island had ever displayed. Evie was the strong one, the one whose mental strength left Carlos without words but filled him with admiration, and look at her now, a blank expression to mask the fact that her hands shook whenever she had to lay them on Jay.

But Carlos? No, Carlos didn't think he was strong, knew he wasn't, in neither the physical or mental sense. He could never be like them, be steady, be strong, so he didn't know what Mal was thinking.

Not wanting to think about it anymore, Carlos turned back to tinkering. The clock taunted him, telling him he only had just over two hours of work before he had to leave, so Carlos threw himself into the wires and bolts, focused so intently on the scraps that were given to him, worked so precisely so that he didn't have to think about Jay, about what he went through at Jafar's hand.

"Carlos," Evie called what felt like three years later.

"What," Carlos answered, not looking up from his work; he might be onto something, a way to increase maximum efficiency without burning through too much resource.

"Carlos," Evie called again, tone firmer.

Holding back a sigh, Carlos stopped what he was doing and turned to her, trying to brace himself. It didn't work; the sight of Jay so weak and vulnerable, practically cradled like a newborn babe, still made his throat close. "What?" he asked again, hoping she wouldn't notice how rough his voice was.

"You don't have to work on that right now," she said softly, her eyes meaningfully traveling down to Jay as he breathed in and out somewhat evenly.

Swallowing, Carlos shrugged. "Mal told me to work." He turned his back on her, unable to look at her, at them, any longer.

"Mal isn't your boss," Evie scolded.

"Except she kinda is," Carlos shot back, frowning. It wasn't exactly true, given the weird relationship between Mal and him due to the arrangement, but when Mal gave an order, they _all_ listened. That was basically what a boss did, right?

Minion, she had called him, once upon a time.

"Carlos," Evie said, yet _again_ , tone stern.

"What, Evie, _what_?" Carlos demanded, turning to her once more, frustration seeping through his voice, and he took a breath to reel it back in. "Just let me work," he tried again, voice quieter, mindful of Jay's need for proper rest. 

"It's been over two weeks," Evie whispered, throwing his words back at him in the most underhanded attack he'd seen from her yet. She knew how to play dirty.

"He doesn't want to be near me right now," Carlos said, certain like he rarely was.

Evie looked affronted. "How can you say that?"

"I'm the reason he's like that!" Carlos whispered harshly, clenching his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. "If we hadn't been fucking, then Jafar, Jafar wouldn't—"

"Carlos," Jay cut in, voice raspy, and both Evie and Carlos froze as Jay forced his eyes open. "You had nothing to do with it."

Carlos let out a sharp laugh. "Right. Why did he get angry again?" Jafar had wanted to rip him apart, and yet Jay was saying he had nothing to do with it. As if, he thought bitterly.

"He got pissed because someone _else_ touched me," Jay said, jaw flexing as he swallowed; it took him effort to keep speaking. "It just happened to be you."

And as much as Carlos didn't want to put any unnecessary strain on Jay, he couldn't let the topic go. "Who else—"

"Carlos."

Carlos jumped, looking over to the hatch, looking at Mal, taking in the way she stared at him as she placed her sack down. The way she looked at him... It wasn't her glare, it wasn't her staredown, it was just... a stare, and it freaked Carlos out. "What," he whispered.

"Do you blame me for what happened to the three of you?" Mal asked, expression still blank.

Breathing in sharply, Carlos sensed a trap, but he answered honestly. "We've been over this, no, I don't—"

"Then you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to Jay," she cut in, matter-of-fact, eyebrow raised. Like she won the argument before it really began.

He knew he walked into that, but he wasn't going to lie down just yet. "And does that stop _you_ from blaming yourself?" he questioned, just shy of demanding, but he couldn't help it. Because he knew _he_ was the cause of Jay's condition.

And then Carlos saw it.

Mal's jaw flexed, the corner of her mouth twitching a fraction, and Carlos knew, he _knew_ , he had cornered her, that he had hit the nail on the head, had smashed it to oblivion. And he'd never been so scared of her.

Cornered animals were the most desperate, after all, the most willing to strike out to deal the most damage they could get away with.

Without a word, Mal hefted the sack and crossed over to where Jay lay with his head on Evie's lap, opening it so Evie could begin feeding Jay. Then, she turned to Carlos. "I'll walk you to the door," Mal said, face still blank despite the tension in her shoulders, and Carlos knew better than to question her motives, than to point out he still had some time before Cruella would call.

So he went with her, ignoring Evie's worried stare, ignoring Jay completely. He practically raced down the ladder, nervous energy bubbling within him once his feet touched the ground, and he stepped away from the trunk of the tree, waiting for Mal.

Watching her descend the ladder was almost maddening because her movements were slow, measured, and Carlos didn't know if that was because she was trying to control her anger or if it was because of something _else_. All he knew was that the moment she stood on the ground and faced him gave him relief, even if he still felt somewhat uneasy.

"What," he said, wanting to get whatever was on her mind out in the open, wanting to get whatever conversation they would have over with. He could handle direct attacks, preferred everything upfront. It was the waiting he couldn't take.

"Blame yourself all you want," Mal began, speaking low in case their voices carried up to the treehouse or out into the yard, her eyes twitching, "but don't do it in front of Jay."

Carlos blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Jaw flexing again, Mal huffed out a breath through her nose, frustrated. "Do. Not. Bring it up. In front of Jay," she repeated, slow and punctuated, voice taut as if she could snap at any minute, her eyes narrowed. "You think he wants to hear you piss and moan your woe after what he's been through?"

Flinching, Carlos shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that," he began, throat going dry.

"Well, that's what it is. Right?" Mal cut in, looking at him expectantly, her annoyance, her anger, thinly veiled. "After Maleficent's order, did you want to deal with me pissing and moaning?"

Carlos winced. "Well, not really, but—"

"But nothing. Carlos, it's the same thing. It's the same scenario." Mal stared him down some, glaring, before she caught herself. "Jay's not like us," she added quietly.

"How so?" Carlos asked, his stomach sinking.

Mal huffed, nostrils flaring, scowling as she ran a hand through her hair. "He _cares_. He's _friendly_. He protects because he _wants_ to, not because he wants something in return." And Mal's eyes shifted downward at that, as if that statement hit home harder than the others, her scowl deepening.

Carlos couldn't help but comment on it. "And you're saying you or Evie aren't like that?" He didn't bother mentioning himself; he knew well enough that he was nowhere near like that.

"Not like Jay," Mal said flatly, not ashamed of admitting it. "But that's not really what I want to talk about."

"Oh, it isn't?" Carlos couldn't help but ask, trying to keep the bite out of his voice. He shouldn't be _provoking_ Mal when she's like this, when she could barely keep herself in check, but something was overriding Carlos' sense of preservation.

Mal narrowed her eyes, and more than ever, she looked like a predator ready to pounce on prey. "No, it isn't. It's the fact that _you're_ the one who can't let it go."

"Wait," Carlos argued, but Mal's finger to his chest stopped him.

"You were going to ask him who else would Jay have fucked, right? _That's_ what I want to talk about. Because you were the first person — the _first_ person, Carlos — that I saw Jay get close with that wasn't his usual no-meaning-flirting. Do you know what that means?"

Carlos swallowed, unable to answer, barely able to within stand the wrath bubbling within Mal as she got in his space.

"This _thing_ ," Mal spat out, pure fury finally erupting on her face before she collected herself, "with Jafar has been going on since Jay was a kid, since I've known him. And yet, he got with you."

"Because I asked," Carlos pointed out, voice getting rough from suppressing his emotion. Why was she telling him this? Where was she going with it?

Mal stared at him like he was the most ignorant being on the island. " _Right_. Because _you_ asked. The how and when and why doesn't matter because it's you. It's him and it's you. You were his choice. End of discussion." She narrowed her eyes. "You really want him questioning whether he made a poor choice right _now_?"

"Mal..." Carlos began, but he couldn't find the words, couldn't find any words.

"Do not bring it up in front of him again," Mal warned, and Carlos swore he saw emerald in her eyes. "He's weak, he's starved. We need him to recover, then you can talk about it if you want to. I suggest you don't."

"You didn't let it go," Carlos whispered, and a part of him felt it unfair: he shouldn't have to let it go or wave it off when she didn't; the situations might be different, but they were both at fault.

Weren't they?

Mal blinked at him, studying. "Maleficent issued her order directly because of me. Jafar would have done what he did regardless of who touched Jay. What happened to you was my fault. What happened to Jay isn't yours." She ran her hands through her hair again, gesturing to him a little, frustrated again. "You're a genius, right? Look at the situations logically."

"Well, illogically, I want to kill that raven," Carlos said before he could stop himself, and he clamped his mouth shut, staring wide-eyed at Mal. Why did he say that? That stupid bird was the familiar of Mal's mother!

Eyebrow raised, Mal snorted. "You're not alone. He spilled our secrets, after all, so murdering him wouldn't be that illogical." She remained quiet for a few moments, and Carlos waited, could tell she wasn't done, and sure enough, Mal let out a small sigh and fixed her gaze on him. "Next time you enter that treehouse and Jay's in there, keep your mouth shut and just _be there_." Her expression softened, though, the tiniest bit as a self-deprecating smirk appeared on her face. "Not that anyone can do that like Jay, but yeah."

"Okay," Carlos said, not having the energy to fight Mal on this, but also knowing that, in some way he didn't really want to admit, maybe she was right.

"And tell me if Cruella lays a finger on you," Mal added, almost like it was an afterthought, surprising him, as she moved toward the ladder.

"Mal, you don't have—"

"One finger," Mal repeated, expression stern, and she walked to him, framed his cheeks with her hands. "She touches you, you tell me." She placed a quick kiss on his lips, sealing her promise of delivering retribution.

Something fluttered in Carlos' stomach as he nodded, and he watched her nod with satisfaction before heading back to the ladder, grabbing it and pulling herself up.

"That's protecting, you know," Carlos called softly, chest a little tight with emotion.

Pausing, Mal turned to him, blinking, expression blank. Then, she shrugged. "I never said I didn't protect."

"You just have different reasons," Carlos finished for her, surveying her expression, her body language.

The corner of her mouth twitched, her lips curving upward in a tiny smirk. "Right," she said with a nod, and with that, she continued climbing.

Carlos stared after her, mind full with their conversation and all the implications that it left behind, and for the first time since he entered the arrangement, Carlos felt that he understood Mal.

As he made his way to his mother's house, Carlos made a mental note to hold himself in check the next time he's around Jay.

After all he'd done for Carlos, Carlos could do that for him.

—

In the next few days, Jay slowly but surely began to recover, and Carlos had a better handle on his emotions.

He kept conversation as Evie worked to get Jay eating, making sure bites were small and that Jay ate slowly. Carlos didn't know how Evie knew how to handle a situation like this, but he was grateful for her steady presence, her outward calm. She really did seem like a princess, one of those young women that Auradon showcased every now and then on the tv, and that only served to increase the uneasy feeling Carlos had whenever he looked at them.

It must have had the same effect on Mal, too, because she never looked in their direction for long. In fact, she was always moving, hardly ever taking a breather in the treehouse like she used to, and Carlos suspected it had to do with the fact that she was mostly handling everything by herself.

She stole food for four (sometimes, as Carlos would notice that she or Evie would eat very little some days), she stole potential wares to keep Jafar somewhat sated and at bay (but she always returned to the treehouse with such pent up rage that Carlos was surprised she never tore the place apart), she hunted for any spare part to contribute to Carlos' machine (Carlos accompanied her down to the barges when shipments came, but Mal still kept an eye out everywhere), she found the time to make contact with them (just simple touches, a hand to the top of the head, the shoulder, between the shoulder blades, maybe even kisses here and there, and Carlos didn't know if the contact was to ground them or herself).

Really, Carlos didn't know how she found the energy.

"Carlos," Evie called, bringing Carlos out of his musings, "can you take over here?" She didn't stop her hand from running back and forth in Jay's hair. "My mother's inventory is getting too low, so I need to work on extracting and mixing today." She sent an apologetic glance his way.

It was her expression that did him in. "Sure..." he said, letting his voice trail as he stood up, awkwardly making his way to take her place as Jay's pillow. It wasn't like he was making any real progress in his task, anyway, so he had no real excuse to deny Evie.

"Thanks," Evie said, giving him a genuine smile as she helped reposition Jay, laying his head in Carlos' lap. "He's doing a lot better. Keeps his food down and everything."

"Ha ha," Jay murmured, peeking at them through one eye. "I keep telling you guys I don't need to lie on you."

"Yeah, because that isn't like you at all," Evie countered, tone teasing as she leaned down to kiss his forehead, and Carlos had to hide his grin at Jay's eye roll.

Jay always did have the habit of lounging on them whenever he felt like it.

"You're lucky I can't pick you up, princess," Jay said, a mock pout on his lips that slipped into a small grin when Evie chuckled.

"Try not to make too much noise, boys. This princess has some science to do." With that, Evie winked and made her way to the workstation, settled herself in easily, and promptly began working.

Carlos knew from experience that her concentration was fully on her work, that she had basically blocked everything out in order to make sure she didn't get anything wrong so that she wouldn't disappoint her mother.

And so Carlos and Jay sat there in relative silence, interrupted only by Evie's occasional soft muttering, and Carlos wondered how long Mal would take to get back this time.

"I could spar with you later, you know, so you can pick Evie up again," Carlos offered, quiet and light, wondering if he should. Mal had walked beside Jay as Evie made him walk a lap around the treehouse and another back again, and the simple activity hadn't worn him out completely, due to the actual food his body now received, but sparring? Carlos didn't think Jay would be up for that just yet. Still, he figured Jay didn't much like being treated like an invalid. "It might be the only time I can get the upperhand on you. Gotta make the most of that."

Carlos could do nonchalant, could joke about everything — never with the ease and years of practice that Jay did it, but Carlos could make do.

Jay smiled, and Carlos breathed easier. "Pretty sure you'll have the upperhand for a while," Jay said. "Gonna take me a long time to get back in shape." And though his expression was mostly peaceful, there was a slight crease to Jay's brow, and Carlos knew that being the way he was now, not being in top shape, was eating at Jay.

"I think I can get you up to speed," Carlos said quietly, his hand smoothing over Jay's hair. "I had a pretty great teacher, after all." Before Jay, Carlos hadn't thought he'd ever be able to slip from fights, hadn't thought he could move, could command, his body like he could now.

Jay snorted, a small frown on his lips. "You had an idiot teacher."

Frowning, Carlos poked Jay's forehead. "Well, we'll see about that when we spar." He really didn't know what Jay was talking about, didn't know why Jay thought his skills were subpar, but Carlos refrained from commenting further.

 _Keep your mouth shut and just be there_ , Mal had said, and seeing as that was usually how he operated, Carlos intended to do just that.

Swallowing, Jay didn't comment either, simply blinking off into space as his brow creased, pondering over something, some topic that Carlos couldn't begin to guess at, but Carlos didn't want to disturb him.

Carlos didn't want to stress Jay any more than he already had, any more than Jay already was. 

Jay, though, didn't seem to be done talking. "Carlos," he said, voice rough from both his drowsiness and disuse, "what did Cruella want to talk to you about?" He cleared his throat, blinking up at Carlos, expression remaining neutral save for the minor twitch to his lips. "You know, after the summons..."

Though he tried with all his might not to, Carlos couldn't help but freeze at the memory. He took in several deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves and steady himself enough to tell Jay. Because he couldn't say his usual _nothing_ , not to Jay, not after all they'd been through, not after all Jay had been through.

And in all honesty, Carlos was surprised Jay even remembered that Cruella had addressed him, considering how Jafar seemed to want to keep Jay preoccupied with _other_ things.

"She just gave me a warning," Carlos said quietly, telling himself not to grip or pull Jay's hair, settling on letting his hands rest atop Jay's head.

Jay peered up at him. "What kind of warning?" He used that tone of his, the one that told Carlos that Jay knew something was off, that Jay was trying to contain his anger or disappointment.

Carlos swallowed. "You know old man Sykes?"

Blinking, Jay nodded. "The crazy loanshark?"

"Yeah," Carlos confirmed, swallowing again. "She told me if I fail to keep up with my chores because of this task, she's gonna, gonna rent me out to him, and that he'll give me to, to Roscoe and DeSoto." Just saying the names made Carlos break out into a sweat.

All this time, he never knew _they_ were on the island; his mother made it seem like they only inhabited Auradon.

Jay's brow creased, his quiet fury giving way to confusion. "Who're—"

"They're d-dogs," Carlos managed to get out, a full body shudder encasing him. "Something called Dobermans that are mean and aggressive and would love sinking their teeth in me." He clamped his mouth shut, tried very hard not to become rigid, tried very hard to just breathe, but the image of two vicious dogs cornering him while old man Sykes just laughed made Carlos sweat, made his heart race.

"That harpy," Jay cursed, his fury once again resurfacing. "Just because you can't die doesn't mean she can—"

"It's not, she wouldn't, Sykes doesn't—" Carlos cut himself off, forced himself to _breathe_ , tried not to focus on how expressive Jay's anger was, and he steadied himself enough to _explain_ — because Jay was definitely under the wrong impression. "Mother said Sykes doesn't give people to his beasts so they can kill. They eat plenty." At Jay's confusion, Carlos took another breath. "Apparently, Sykes likes to watch them... fuck people." And Carlos almost threw up then and there.

Ever since that talk with Cruella, ever since he saw the promise in her eyes, the smirk on her lips, Carlos hadn't been able to get decent sleep. He kept seeing huge, ferocious beasts with sharp claws and fangs pouncing on him, pinning him, fucking him raw and open with abandon while both his mother and old man Sykes _laughed_.

"Carlos," Jay said, firm voice snapping Carlos out of his nightmares. "That's _not_ gonna happen." And though Carlos could see Jay meant his words, meant the unspoken promise of protection, Carlos could also see the way Jay's hands twitched. "Mal—"

"Mal already knows," Carlos interrupted, a shaky laugh escaping him. "She asked me about it the moment she saw me after the summons, told me if Cruella lays even one finger on me, she'd get her back." Carlos hadn't understood why Mal was so adamant about it, really.

Jay remained silent, studying Carlos, and Carlos hated it, hated the way Jay's eyes seemed to pierce him so absolutely, hated that Jay could read him so easily.

"Mal won't let it happen," Jay said finally. " _We_ won't let that happen."

"It'd probably be too late for you to stop it," Carlos muttered, trying not to let his emotions show. Everything already happened too late for them to stop it, he thought bitterly, feeling utterly stupid and useless.

Where was Jay the first time a man took him? Where was he for all the rest? Where was Mal when Maleficent's henchmen barged into his life, into his body, when they barged into Evie's? Where was Mal when Jafar forced Jay out of Maleficent's tower? They had promised protection, but they never got there to protect when it was needed. His mother called him worthless, and deep down, Carlos knew she was right.

"Carlos."

Heart skipping, Carlos blinked, staring into Jay's dark eyes, at his fierce face, and he belatedly realized that Jay was sitting up, that Jay had his hands framing Carlos' face. "What..." Carlos said, voice trailing at the intensity radiating off of Jay.

Eyes narrowing, Jay kept his hold on Carlos firm but not harsh. "It's gonna be different now. Nothing is gonna happen to any of you." And Jay brushed his thumbs against Carlos' skin, as if that could seal his promise, as if that action could do anything useful.

"What about you?" Carlos asked, his hands reaching up and holding onto Jay's wrists.

The action made Jay flinch, but he did a good job suppressing most of it. "Made my bed a long time ago," he said quietly, resigned but matter-of-fact.

It made Carlos angry. "If you can't be protected, then neither can we," he said, his hold on Jay's wrists tightening in his insistence.

Jay shook his head, and he tried to pull away from Carlos. "It doesn't work like that, you—"

"Of course it works like that!" Carlos interrupted, not letting go, frustrated, and in his frustration, he added, "Didn't take you for a fool, Jay."

Carlos didn't know what was wrong with him, didn't know why he _needed_ to provoke Jay. Maybe I just need a good beating; haven't had one in a while, he thought, sarcastic yet honest, stomach churning.

(His mother hadn't laid a hand on him, not like she used to, despite her warning about old man Sykes, not even when he had spilled his mop water across the floor; it put Carlos on edge, both relieved and _not_.)

"You," Jay continued, jaw flexing a fraction at Carlos' verbal jab, "are in charge of breaking the barrier. Maleficent herself said you're not to be touched. Cruella is just trying to get you to focus on her stupid chores."

They stared at each other for a few moments, both stewing in their emotions, Carlos still holding onto Jay's wrists. He wanted to tell Jay he was wrong, wanted to tell him Cruella didn't care about Maleficent's task, because Cruella still sent him away without dinner, still smacked him upside the head when she was displeased.

It didn't matter that she sometimes pet his head and smiled, that she didn't flat out _beat_ him nowadays.

"Do I have to separate you?" Evie asked, startling both boys.

"We're fine," Carlos said, voice a little tight, and he released Jay, even going so far as to scoot away from him a little.

"I'll say," Evie deadpanned, turning to face them fully. "Good job getting Jay angry, but I think there are better ways of helping him recover." She raised an eyebrow, disapproval on her face.

"Like force feeding him cupcakes?" Carlos sniped, and he only partially meant it; it was a struggle for Jay to keep his food down at first, after all, his body having gotten used to not receiving sustenance, and Jay had only just graduated to portions larger than a mouthful yesterday.

"Throwing me out the treehouse?" Jay suggested, sullen and looking anywhere but at Carlos and Evie, and it almost made Carlos take back his words.

Eyes narrowed, Evie stood up, her hands on her hips and her head held high, and she looked the very picture of royalty about to issue a command. "If you two don't sort your shit in the next five minutes, I'll make sure to tell Mal about this little conversation."

Jay sat a little straighter. "You wouldn't."

"Do you really want to try me?" Evie challenged. "I'm done with all this tiptoeing around. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you don't want to recover and that Carlos wants a fight." She paused, her eyes searching, gaze critical, and Carlos tried not to swallow.

Evie had a way of seeing right through people, and it was a talent that nearly frightened him.

"Would you both be in a better mood if I blew you?" Evie asked, point blank and genuinely curious.

Carlos nearly sputtered. " _What?_ " He glanced at Jay and was relieved to find him just as flummoxed. How on Earth had Evie come to that conclusion?

Evie merely shrugged. "What what? I know it's been a while for you, Carlos, and Jay, you deserve to feel good. Besides, both of you need relief from the pressure and stress of our situation."

"You're not gonna do that," Jay muttered quietly.

"Is that a dare?" Evie challenged, taking a step forward, but she paused when Jay actually tensed up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he muttered again, jaw flexing as he averted his gaze.

Carlos had enough. "You never let me say nothing, so we're not letting you say it now."

Glaring at the floor, undoubtedly frustrated that Carlos had used his method against him, Jay shrugged. "You don't need to go out of your way. You said it yourself, it's been a while, right?"

Confused, Carlos glanced at Evie, and he was relieved to see that spark in her eyes; at least she knew what he meant.

"Jay," she began, "the reason it's been a while is because _you_ weren't here." She watched Jay look up, surprise on his face. "It didn't feel the same without you." Evie glanced at Carlos, nodding her head a little.

He didn't need to be told twice. "It's true. We couldn't keep fucking each other when we didn't know what was happening to you." Ever since he saw how Jafar reacted, saw how he grabbed at Jay with a possessive hand, Carlos hadn't _wanted_ to do anything resembling fucking; he just wanted Jay back, wanted Jay with them instead of somewhere, anywhere, near Jafar.

Swallowing, Jay shrugged again. "Well, I'm here. Now you guys can do whatever you want." He held himself rigid, so tense that it actually hurt to look at, and he kept his expression blank, as if he expected Evie and Carlos to just go at each other and ignore him. As if they'd want to actively exclude him.

Frustrated and unable to stand it anymore, Carlos blew out a breath, grabbing hold of Jay's shoulder and turning him, making Jay face him. "Whatever we want?" Carlos ground out through clenched teeth. "Fine." And with that, Carlos pulled Jay into a kiss, firmly and desperately pressing their lips together as he ignored Evie's little gasp of surprise.

But Carlos couldn't take the way Jay froze, the way Jay remained unresponsive no matter how desperate Carlos was for him to participate, to enjoy himself, so Carlos pulled away, trying not to show how crushed he was. It shouldn't surprise him that he couldn't do anything for Jay.

He couldn't do anything for anyone. He was useless.

"Carlos," Jay said quietly, his gaze boring a hole right through Carlos' core.

"This isn't pity," Carlos said when he recognized the expression on Jay's face, voice just as quiet, and he had to laugh, short and self-mocking. "If anything, this is greed."

Jay blinked. "Greed?" he echoed, brow furrowing, and he briefly glanced at Evie.

"Because I want you," Carlos said, cheeks warming, but he pushed through. Maybe the truth will help, he thought, nervous still — he'd never been the type to admit when he wanted something. "Because I don't want the girls to fuck you before I do."

Jay's eyes widened, like he couldn't believe the words came from Carlos, and he tried to scoot away, like putting distance between them would bring Carlos to his senses. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Carlos grabbed his hands, made a point of grabbing his hands and not his wrists, effectively shutting Jay up. "I want to kiss you before Evie does, before Mal does," he added, leaning in again, slow and unsure but determined to make Jay understand; if he didn't want to, if he didn't want Carlos, that was fine, but Carlos wanted to make sure Jay knew that Carlos never stopped wanting him.

He probably would always want Jay.

So he was relieved when Jay allowed him to close the distance, allowed him to bring their lips together again, and Carlos' chest tightened when he felt Jay respond, as tentative as it was, and he just felt even more emboldened. "I want to be the one to give you pleasure," he murmured when they broke apart, and he watched in awe as Jay shivered. "I want to be the one to make you come."

" _Carlos_ ," Jay breathed out, sounding as if the word was torn from him, and he kissed Carlos again, movements clumsy and desperate, opening his mouth to Carlos, inviting him in, insisting, and it only spurred Carlos on.

So Carlos pushed forward, got in Jay's space and guided him back down on the blanket, straddling his hips as he gently rocked into Jay, letting Jay feel his hardness, which only grew when Carlos felt Jay's arousal.

"I want to suck you before Evie does," Carlos managed as he kissed his way along Jay's jaw, down his neck. "I wanna give you that." And _God_ , he meant it, meant it so much. He wanted to give Jay everything, needed to give Jay pleasure.

He wanted to do everything in his power to rid Jay's flesh of Jafar's touch.

"Carlos," Jay moaned in that same wrecked tone, and his hands shook as he grabbed hold of Carlos' hips, his eyes dark and his mouth open in little breathless pants.

"Let me give you that," Carlos pleaded, and it took all of his strength not to grind down harder, not to quicken his pace. He needed Jay to tell him, needed him to say that he still wanted Carlos.

"Yes, Carlos, please," Jay whispered, shuddering as he blinked up at Carlos, and his grip on Carlos tightened just a little.

It was enough to light a fire within him, and Carlos kissed Jay again, slow and hungry, before crawling down Jay, massaging and kissing what he could, before undoing Jay's pants, pulling them down just enough to release his cock.

Just the sight of it was enough to make his mouth water, but Carlos told himself that this wasn't about his pleasure; it was about Jay's, so Carlos made sure to go slow, made sure to leave breathy, open mouth kisses along the side of Jay's cock as his hands stroked him to hardness.

Above him, Jay groaned, and Jay's hands found their way to Carlos' hair, kneading a little, and Carlos sighed at the contact.

Slow and steady, Carlos told himself, and he licked Jay from the base to the tip, bringing the head into his mouth so he could suck gently. Jay's shuddering above him only fueled his desire to please, and Carlos sighed again as he took Jay fully into his mouth.

 _Fuck_ , he missed the weight of Jay in his mouth.

He didn't know what _that_ said about him, but Carlos didn't care.

Focusing on the way Jay's hands massaged his scalp, on the way Jay squirmed all around him, Carlos closed his eyes, devoted himself entirely to Jay's pleasure as he bobbed slow and steady; he usually hated going at such a careful pace, but Carlos wanted to work Jay up, wanted his orgasm to really build, in the hopes that Jay's release would purge the memory of Jafar's touch.

Carlos had never seen, had never felt Jay react like he was, like every little thing Carlos did, every swirl of his tongue, every brush of his lips, every time he swallowed Jay down, was the most pleasurable experience Jay had ever felt, and that was enough to get Carlos hard, was enough for Carlos to just want to fuck his face on Jay's cock.

But he kept the pace slow, if not firm, insisting, as he worshiped Jay's flesh, as he did all he could to convey that Jay was important, that Jay was wanted, and Jay _sang_. The moans and shudders were done so openly, Jay kneading Carlos' scalp even more, and Carlos marveled at how unrestrained Jay was in that moment, at just how much Jay was feeling.

I must be doing good, Carlos thought as he took Jay in deeper, because Jay's barely able to utter words.

" _Carlos_ , I'm—" Jay couldn't finish the sentence, his whole body tensing as he released into Carlos' mouth, a long, breathless moan leaving him as he gripped Carlos' hair tighter.

Carlos took it all, didn't let a drop go to waste, and it felt so absurd that he'd had missed the taste of Jay so much, but he had, becoming dizzy with it, so much so that he didn't care that he hadn't come yet — that growing ache didn't matter anymore now that Jay sighed in contentment, shivering now that he was sated.

Jay tugged on his hair again, and Carlos got the hint, pulled himself up and over Jay's body again, kissing here and there before Jay pulled him into another deep kiss.

"Welcome back, Jay," Carlos whispered when they broke apart, his voice now wrecked.

A snort managed to escape Jay, and the corner of his lips quirked as he tilted his chin up, asking for another kiss without words, his eyes drooping but so bright.

Carlos was more than happy to oblige.

The kiss was lazy, mostly due to the fact that Jay was falling asleep in the middle of it, but Carlos didn't mind it because it just meant that Jay was more relaxed now than he'd been since his return. And it meant that Carlos had given him that.

"Wow," Evie said, startling him. She was sitting right next to them, and embarrassment filled Carlos at the fact he had forgotten all about her.

She smiled, though, as she looked at Jay. "Out like a light," she practically cooed, nodding in approval. She glanced at Carlos, smile still in place, then glanced over his shoulder. "Hi, Mal."

Carlos froze, telling himself to calm down as he forced himself to turn to the hatch. Sure enough, Mal stood there, a sack filled with the evening's thieving efforts in her hands.

"Well," Mal said, and Carlos felt cold all over as he looked at her impassive face. She moved closer to the blanket, dropping her bag of stolen goodies as she surveyed Jay's sleeping form. Eyebrow raised, she turned to Carlos. "That took longer than I expected."

"What," he said flatly. Of all the things Mal could have said, Carlos had not been expecting that.

She shrugged. "I was wondering who would break first, you or E."

"Well, I did mention blowing him," Evie said, hands in front of her lap and looking the picture of contrite, "but that was mostly to get Carlos' head out of his ass." She smiled, going for the innocent look, but her smile curved too much, letting her mischievous streak shine through.

Mal nodded, impressed. "Well done." She leaned in, giving Evie a lingering kiss on the lips, and she smirked when Evie sighed as she pulled away.

Carlos watched them in disbelief, and he silently hoped that their parents never ordered them to go up against each other. Because he'd have no chance in hell dealing with the mind of Mal or Evie; the girls were too great at schemes, their potential deadly.

"So... you're not mad?" Carlos asked once he got over the fact that Evie had played them so perfectly.

"Did you force him?" Mal asked. When he shook his head no, she asked, "Did he enjoy himself?" Her eyes flickered to Evie despite the fact that Carlos had nodded.

"Yes," Evie answered. "I watched intently."

Her words made him blush, but Carlos focused on Mal, on her judgment.

"You didn't force him, and he enjoyed himself. Plus, he's now sleeping soundly. Why would I be mad?" Mal raised her eyebrow, genuinely curious about Carlos' answer, about any reasoning he'd give.

It made him question why he even brought it up. "Um, because I made a move first?" he tried, unsure. Mal had known Jay the longest, after all; he could see her wanting to be the first to welcome him back.

Mal snorted.

"He made the first move all right. He told Jay he was greedy," Evie said, smiling mischievously as she sat back down at the workstation. "That he wanted to be the first to welcome Jay back." She picked up her instruments, casting a flirty glance Carlos' way. "Who would have thought Carlos had it in him?" She laughed when Carlos' cheeks burned.

Mal let out a huff of amusement, despite shaking her head a little. "I'm just glad you came to your senses. Jay didn't want anyone else to touch him like that." She placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair slightly, her movement not quite as sure as Jay or Evie would have been, but the gesture was enough to put Carlos at ease.

But only until Mal's words registered in his head. "He, he said that?" Carlos couldn't believe it, and the mild panic that had faded with Mal's touch came creeping back. Why wouldn't Jay want the others to touch him?

Evie sighed, shaking her head like he was a toddler that understood nothing of the world. "He didn't need to say it, Carlos. You were the only one who didn't really touch him in some way since he returned. Really now." She turned her back to them, deciding that the conversation wasn't worth having anymore since Carlos was apparently too slow to realize what was in front of his face, and she focused once more on restocking her mother's supplies.

Now that he thought about it, Carlos had been a little distant lately — and not just from Jay. He'd been distant around the girls, too, and he wondered if that's what Mal meant when she mentioned whether it would be Carlos or Evie breaking first.

Sighing, Carlos ran a hand down his face. This whole situation was enough to break him. If he let it.

Mal's hand on his head again startled him, and he looked up at her, confused.

"You still have an hour and a half before you need to leave. Lie down next to Jay and rest." Mal gave no room for argument, kept her eyes on Carlos until he did as she said, and it was only when he rested his head on Jay's shoulder and a hand on Jay's chest did she leave them alone, instead letting Evie and her concoctions occupy her attention.

Where does she get her strength, he wondered, watching as Mal began following Evie's instructions on how to extract some type of wormwood. Where do they both get their strength, he mused, unable to think of a time where Mal and Evie had been the useless one, had been jostled or shaken or stricken. They were always a pillar of strength, even when Evie had been covered in bruises from brutish men, even when Mal had been cornered by Jay's words.

Growing weary, Carlos closed his eyes, breathing easier as he felt Jay's chest rise and fall in sleep, and, somehow, he knew that Jay could bounce back from this, that they could all bounce back from this, if Mal and Evie stayed where they were. If they stayed strong, inspiring Jay and Carlos with that strength.

And some part of him even believed that they could get through Maleficent's task in one piece. 

———

Scissors in hand, Evie made the trek from the barges back to the treehouse, hauling her bag of findings close, deep in thought despite how observant she was of her surroundings — she wouldn't let anyone jump her, wouldn't let them touch either her flesh or her bag.

Since Mal had made her claim known to the whole bazaar, no one really came near them anymore, and the only ones who'd dare raise their hand to them were their parents, but Evie didn't want to take any chances, especially since she was alone.

She never usually ventured to the barges by herself anymore, but Evie had little choice today. Carlos had apologized the night before, regretfully explaining that his mother ordered him to do some chore all morning, and Mal had only said she needed to stock up on inventory — and Evie knew better to ask her to elaborate, considering that was usually code for thieving for Jafar, and Evie knew how much that burned Mal.

Jay had wanted to come, but Mal all but forbade it, seeing as it hadn't even been thirty days since his return and he was still recovering. Though, thankfully, he had begun getting meat back on his bones, begun getting back his strength, and Evie breathed easier because they _all_ breathed easier.

The tension that had built up since Jay's disappearance had finally dissipated, and they all had a much needed breather, especially since it seemed that Mal and Carlos were ready to snap.

Carlos seducing Jay came at just the right time, Evie mused as she put away her scissors and climbed up the ladder, hauling her bag and making sure not to drop it. Of course, if Evie hadn't pushed, they might still be ready to explode. They might even have tried to kill each other.

"Here's today's haul," Evie said by way of greeting as she pulled herself completely up, placing the bag of parts next to Carlos' workstation, ready to get to work with helping build the battery or helping Jay get back to one hundred percent if Carlos was still caught up with his chore.

But she paused.

Carlos was already back, and he was joined by Mal and Jay. The three of them stood next to the blanket, unofficially deemed the _comfort corner_ of the treehouse, and Carlos and Mal had their hands behind their backs as they stared at her. Jay's arms were folded across his chest, and he tried to hide his grin.

"What's going on?" Evie asked, feeling odd — not from unease, not from foreboding, just... curious. They had obviously planned something, lied to her about their morning activities to do it, but the expressions they wore were on the playful side, not malicious.

"Do you know today's date?" Carlos asked, and he fidgeted, but not from nerves or fear, Evie noted, but from something like excitement.

"The date?" Evie echoed, confused, wondering if she had forgotten something they were supposed to do, and she did a mental check of calendar. "It's the tenth," she answered, and it hit her. They couldn't mean what I think they mean, she thought, staring at them with wide eyes.

Mal snorted. "Looks like someone forgot her own birthday."

They did! she thought, a rush of emotion swelling within her, and she couldn't help but let out a delighted laugh. "Why are we celebrating my birthday? We have a lot of work to do." Not that she wasn't charmed to the core that they even knew, let alone remembered, her birthday, but it was already July; Carlos didn't have that much time to perfect and complete a machine for Maleficent.

"It's your sixteenth, Evie, I think a little celebrating is in order," Carlos said, bringing his arms from behind his back to reveal a basket of cupcakes. "They're your favorite, right?" He gave her the basket, shuffling his feet shyly, and he smiled when she leaned in to kiss his cheek in thanks.

"Can't burn out yet, right?" Mal stepped forward, revealing that she, too, had something behind her back: a large sack. "Besides, you're the one who's usually telling us to take breaks and all that crap. Seems only fair to spin it on you." She offered the bag, opening it to let Evie see different kinds of fabric rolls.

"Mal, Carlos..." Evie didn't have words, and she took the gifts tentatively, heart beating fast as she marveled at them; Carlos must have put a lot of effort into making the cupcakes, and Mal must have done quite the number on the merchant who sold the fabrics, the material such a better quality than the rest. "You didn't have to..."

"It's payment in kind," Mal said, tone and bearing flippant, but her expression spoke volumes. "You've stayed in check and on top of things better than anyone else in the room."

Evie swallowed, the compliment nearly making her heart burst. "Thank you," she said quietly, clutching her gifts close.

"The least we can do, Evie," Carlos said, shuffling his feet again, and his eyes traveled to Jay, who'd been standing off to the side, quiet and serious.

Evie, absurdly, was struck with the thought that maybe Jay felt bad for not being able to give a gift as well, seeing as he was mostly confined to the treehouse — and that was only because Mal pitched a fit even when he walked around the de Vil grounds.

"I'm glad you're here, Jay," Evie said, offering him a smile because it was _true_. Those two weeks without him were terrible, and not just for her.

Mal let out the briefest of huffs, a mix between amusement and annoyance. "He has a gift for you, too."

Both of Evie's eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

"Yeah, Mal actually let him out the treehouse to get it," Carlos quipped. He chuckled nervously, though, when Mal raised her eyebrow at him, and he took a step away from her, causing her to roll her eyes.

Keeping her amusement in check, Evie turned her attention back on Jay, smiling as she placed Mal and Carlos' gifts down gently. "You didn't have to," she repeated lamely, touched that he would venture out for a thieving in his condition just to get her a little something on her birthday.

Jay moved to her, hesitant in a way she hardly ever saw of him, causing her to wonder if his hesitancy were due to the fact that he was still recovering or if it had to do with what he had clutched in his hand, or both. He presented her with a small box. "You need something to mark your sixteenth," was all he said.

Her hand shaking slightly at the quiet seriousness he possessed, a seriousness that was gentle and nervous, Evie removed the lid, peering inside to find a beautiful gold chain, simple yet elegant and dotted here and there with red stones. She looked up at him in alarm. It was no mere score from a simple thieving. "Jay, this is—"

"Something I want to give you," Jay finished, looking a little uncomfortable, but determined. He took the box from her and took out the chain — a bracelet, Evie realized. Gesturing for her hand, Jay clasped the chain around her wrist, and Evie marveled at the wonderful fit, at the beauty of it. It looked and felt like real jewelry, and that was so hard to come by on the island.

How on Earth did Jay manage to steal it, and from where, she wondered as she hugged her hand close, unable to find the words to show her appreciation.

Clearing his throat, Jay turned to Mal and offered her a smaller box. "And I was going to give this to you on your birthday, but well. Maleficent's order kinda overshadowed it. I'm surprised her Goons didn't pick my pockets." He meant the words as a joke, but his voice shook just a fraction.

Mal stared at the box in her hand, and Evie saw her face get distinctly paler.

"Wait," Evie began before she could help it, "Mal, your birthday was, was when we, we were..." Evie stared, horrified.

Carlos stared as well, eyes wide as he began to piece it together, too.

Mal swallowed, giving a shrug that was too forced. "Now that I think about it, yeah, that was the day." When everyone continued to stare at her, she folded her arms across her chest, holding her head high despite how shaken she looked. "My birthday isn't exactly cause for celebration, so I didn't think about it at the time."

 _That's_ why Jay had thought Mal was in on it, Evie realized, her chest tightening, because he thought that was Maleficent's gift to her, something to mark her sixteenth. Evie hadn't understood his reasoning after it happened, hadn't understood why he would think that after knowing Mal for so long, but it made sense to Evie now.

"There wasn't supposed to be any tension here, Jay," Mal continued, glaring at Jay.

Jay shrugged, in that _what can you do_ way of his, and nodded to the box in Mal's hand. "Open the damn box so we can move on."

Grudgingly, Mal unfolded her arms and peered at the box, as if it would strike her, before removing the lid. Blinking, she glanced up at Jay, face unreadable, as she pulled out an earring, a red stone set in gold, identical to the one Jay wore.

"What is this?" Mal asked quietly, holding the earring with reverence. "Why are you giving these to us?" She regarded him with an unreadable expression. "Wouldn't it..." She let her words trail, brow creasing for a moment as she debated on her words. "Wouldn't it be more beneficial to give them to Jafar?"

At the mention of his father, Jay lips twitched, but he breathed in a deep breath, releasing it steadily. "I didn't steal those," he said as he fiddled with his gloves, but his eyes never left Mal. "I didn't buy them either," he added when Evie opened her mouth.

"How'd you get them?" Carlos asked, quiet and tentative, his hand reaching up to scratch at the collar of his shirt, where Evie knew the snake pendant necklace lay beneath.

Jay followed Carlos' hand as well as he squared his shoulders. "They're mine... More or less." He looked each of them in the eye before he continued. "They belonged to my mom." His voice didn't falter, nor did his gaze, but something about the way he held himself, something about the way he stared, made Jay seem... vulnerable.

And so Evie's heart raced, unable to tear her gaze away from the bracelet, the fact that he gave it away despite it belonging to his _mother_ causing her cheeks to warm, her heart to flutter, her throat to close.

"All of them?" Mal asked, breaking the surreal silence of the treehouse. "Even the one you gave Carlos?"

Jay nodded.

"Why..." Carlos whispered, his eyes searching Jay's face, brow knitted with confusion, and he looked so lost that Evie wanted to go to him and link their arms.

"Because I can," Jay said, short and simple, as if giving away an heirloom, giving away _three_ heirlooms, meant absolutely nothing.

"You told me you didn't know your mother," Mal said, her fingers closing around the earring, either protecting it from the world or protecting herself from its meaning.

"I didn't," Jay said, getting a little tense. "She died, I guess, before I could remember."

Eyebrow rising, Mal glanced at her fist. "Then how do you know these are hers?"

Shrugging, Jay ran a hand through his hair, "Jafar kept them, didn't he? Besides, after the first time we— after my eighth birthday, he gave me this earring because I look like her, because I took her place." Though his face was impassive, Jay's jaw flexed. "I'm pretty sure he tortured her for them."

"And you think it's wise to just take them from him?" Mal countered, her face pained, and Evie thought that arguing with Jay about this, especially after what he'd been through, wasn't the wisest of decisions.

"He doesn't care about them anymore, trust me," Jay said, and for a moment, he looked tired, looked haunted, looked like he did when he finally returned to them after two weeks of being Jafar's captive. "I took them before he could pitch them. I mean, it's not like he can kill me for that."

Evie moved before she registered it, but she did register the way Jay tensed, as if he expected her to hit and hurt, and that was only another reason for her chest to tighten. She reached out, slow and cautious as she framed his face with her hands, and pulled him in for a kiss.

She tried not to think about the way Jay froze at first, about how tense he was when she pressed against him, and instead Evie focused on making sure he felt good, making sure he felt grounded.

"Thanks," she breathed out once they pulled away from each other, "for giving me the best birthday gift." She circled her arms around his neck and held him close, resting her head on his shoulder, and she smiled when she felt his arms wrap around her waist, even if he were hesitant in his actions.

Evie really didn't know what she did to deserve this.

"I need to thank you properly," she said as she pulled out of the embrace. "I need to thank you all properly." Evie smiled, turning to each of them, wondering who to start with first.

"No," Mal said, cutting off her plans with a stern expression.

Evie tried not to shrink away at the rejection. "But—"

"No," Mal said again, this time a little gentler. "This is your birthday, E. What we've given you doesn't need payment."

Evie blinked, looked from Mal to Carlos to Jay. All three had the same expression, all without expectation, all looking at her and asking for nothing. "Well... If you're sure..." she said, uncertain herself. They had never objected or rejected her offerings before. Why now?

"We're sure, Evie," Carlos said, moving to her and taking her hand, the one that wore the bracelet, in his. "These are gifts. We don't need anything in return." He leaned in to kiss her cheek, giving her a smile as he squeezed her hand, the same actions she did for him when trying to be reassuring.

She felt touched.

"Seriously, just enjoy your day," Jay said. He had moved over to Mal and was now putting the earring in her ear, letting her hair fall over it, concealing it, a secret between just the four of them.

The sight made Evie's chest tighten. "Marked all of us as yours, Jay?" she asked, only half teasing as her free hand stroked her wrist and bracelet. She remembered longing to belong to them, to this group of people who were so out of her league, and she remembered the feeling of Jay placing the ring on her finger a year ago, the signal for Mal to publicly claim her, making her part of their world.

Evie still couldn't believe it.

Jay grinned and walked to her, his usual saunter and fluidity mostly intact as he took her hand, bowing down to kiss the back of it. "Of course, princess. Don't like people touching what's mine." He winked at her, and though his tone was teasing and his grin was easy, Evie saw the very real threat dancing in his words, hidden just beneath the surface of his expression.

He might not be back at full strength yet, but Evie knew Jay meant business should someone be foolish enough to touch one of them.

And she saw the same threat in Mal, saw the worry and calculation in Carlos, and Evie herself stood straighter, vowing the same thing she saw in them: no one will touch any of them again. They had an arrangement, and it was time to call it into action, to _really_ make it known, to have the whole island quiver at the thought of the four of them together.

"I think I know how I want to use your gift, Mal," Evie said, a slow and mischievous smile forming on her lips. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of it sooner.

Eyebrow raised, Mal nodded. "Looking forward to see what comes out of it."

"I'll try to have them ready by Carlos' birthday," Evie said, excited and determined. It was going to look fabulous.

Carlos, though, made a face. "You don't have to waste your gift on me."

"I won't be," Evie tsked. "I'm making something for all of us." She gathered them so that they were forming a little circle. "And it'll make _everyone_ know that we're not to be messed with."

Jay grinned, nodding his head a little, already liking her plan despite not knowing anything about it. Mal raised an eyebrow, intrigued and pleased, and Carlos, though still unsure, nodded as well, believing in her. Evie smiled.

She'd do her part, however small it might be, to show the island, to show Maleficent, that they would not be so easily defeated.

———

Even though Evie had said it wouldn't be a waste of the fabric Mal had given her, Carlos found himself counting down the days till his birthday not with excited anticipation but with something like apprehension. After all, Mal went through the trouble of acquiring those fabric rolls specifically for Evie, so why would Evie use them for anyone other than herself?

So to keep his mind off the minute uneasiness within him, Carlos focused on building his machine — and on Jay's recovery. With each passing day, Jay got stronger, and Carlos saw the old Jay return to them little by little, so much so that Mal even allowed Jay to accompany them to school on a few days out of the week.

Surprisingly, Jay even agreed to Carlos' suggestion of sparring, and Mal watched over them whenever she wasn't thieving, sometimes offering instructions to better a stance, but most times simply watching them with silent approval.

Of course, that might have to do with Evie commandeering the treehouse for an hour or two to work on her special project, and seeing as she didn't want any of them to sneak a peek at what she was doing, Jay probably took Carlos' offer to give Evie some space, and Mal probably only allowed it because it was Evie who requested the privacy.

So even though he knew Evie was probably wasting her gift on them, Carlos put his energy into other things, sparring with Jay, searching for the right equipment for his machine, doing his mother's chores. The tasks were more than enough to preoccupy his attention, seeing as Jay's ever-growing strength tired him out sometimes, his machine kept short circuiting, and his mother kept him on his toes.

He didn't really mind it, though. It kept him busy, distracted his mind long enough to forget his apprehension, almost enough to forget the task placed upon him, and for the majority of the passing days, the thought of his birthday was the farthest from his mind.

Which meant he was blindsided when the day arrived.

"Carlos!" Evie cried when he entered the treehouse that morning, smiling wide as she rushed to hug him. "It's your fourteenth!" She kissed him firmly on the lips, and she linked their arms, holding him close, once they broke apart.

Despite not being used to such a birthday greeting, Carlos smiled as he let her lead him to the center of the room. "I can't believe August is nearly over," he said quietly, and a part of him warned _you only have four more months to break the barrier_ , but he tried to push the thought away; he didn't want to ruin Evie's pleasant mood.

"Want me to give you the same present as last year?" Jay asked with a grin and a wink, and Carlos felt his cheeks grow hot.

"Do I want to know?" Mal asked flatly, looking between the boys.

Before he could answer her, Evie spoke, smiling brightly. "For his birthday last year, Carlos asked Jay to have sex with him for the first time."

Mal snorted, and she turned to Jay, eyebrow raised. "I'm not surprised."

Jay shrugged, unashamed. "What? He asked and I said sure. Don't be jealous that you weren't there." He puckered his lips at her before grinning.

"Given how much you all screw each other, I'm pretty sure I didn't miss out on anything," Mal said, deadpan, and Jay just laughed.

"Now, now," Evie said, gathering the attention of the room as she led Carlos to his stool, nudging him to sit down. "Let's not dwell on the past. Besides, I have something for you all!" She clapped her hands in excitement as she retrieved a large sack from the corner of the room.

"It's Carlos' day, not ours," Mal said, eyebrow raised and arms crossed, and Carlos could see that she was uncomfortable with the thought of receiving a gift on _any_ day of the year.

"I know, but I just can't wait for everyone to see them!" Evie said as she pulled out several parcels from the sack, smiling sheepishly. She didn't move from her spot, though, waiting for confirmation from Mal.

Carlos watched as Mal weighed the options, unblinking, and it wasn't until Jay nudged her that Mal shifted her gaze. "Fine," she said in a huff, side-eying Jay.

Smiling brilliantly, Evie nodded. "So, this is just the first installment," she began as she handed out a parcel to each of them, "I plan to do a lot more, but I wanted to get your opinions first."

Carlos could see that Mal and Jay shared identical expressions, thoughtful and curious, as they opened the packages handed to them, and because he didn't want to disappoint Evie or make her frown in any way, Carlos opened his, too.

And he stared.

Inside was an outfit, black and white and red mixed together and splashed here and there, a jacket and shirt, shorts and boots, and red fingerless gloves. Stunned, Carlos pulled out the jacket, his fingers running along the fur-trimmed collar, and he stared at Evie.

Evie, whose brilliant smile hadn't faltered, merely nodded. "Turn it over," she said gently.

Blinking, Carlos did what he was told, and on the back of the jacket was a symbol, crossbones in black and white, mirroring the coloring of the jacket's back, and Carlos touched it, oddly fixated. "Evie...?" he found himself saying, unsure of what he even wanted to ask.

Where did she find the fur? Why design this outfit for him? Why add the symbol? Why go through the trouble for him?

Glancing around him, Carlos noticed that Jay and Mal received outfits as well, and they too were inspecting the symbols Evie had sewn into the backs of their jackets. They were both just as transfixed as Carlos was.

The room was silent for several long moments, and only Evie's nervous cough broke the quiet. "So, what do you think?" She bit her bottom lip, worry in the crease of her brow, as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt.

"This is amazing..." Carlos found himself saying, and it was the truth. He and Evie had spent many nights in her room discussing fashion and their ideal looks; he'd often told her what he'd like to make if he'd be allowed more material to work with, instead of the secondhand scraps his mother allowed him to own. "Thank you, Evie," he said, as sincerely as he could. Because his gratitude _was_ sincere. This was probably one of the most thoughtful gifts he'd had ever received.

"Yeah, E, this is something else," Jay said, quiet and impressed, a soft expression on his face as he ran his fingers over his leather vest, over the snake sewn into the back. Carlos would bet this was the first genuine gift he'd ever gotten, seeing as he was never around the week of his birthday, but Carlos tried not to think about that right now. 

Mal nodded in agreement, and she swallowed inaudibly, probably just as affected as she was during Evie's birthday. "What are these?" she asked as she showed them the symbol Evie chose for her, a black dragon facing a green dragon with their wings drooping to each other, and Carlos had to hand it to her; Mal's voice was steady when she spoke.

"Our insignias," Evie answered, puffing her chest out in pride. "I modeled them off of our parents because we will have all of their strengths but none of their weaknesses. It's to tell the island that we are not to be taken lightly."

She spoke with confidence, with such certainty that they would rise above all the trials and tribulations that they'd already faced to become great and powerful, more than their parents ever were, but Evie's bearing told Carlos how nervous she was, from the slight bounce to her feet to the way her hands twitched.

Carlos couldn't bear to see her nervous and uncertain, not when she'd been nothing but brilliant and steadfast, not when she'd kept them all from tearing each other's throats out from all _their_ nervous energy.

Placing his outfit down on his workstation with reverence, Carlos walked to Evie, gently took her face in his hands, and kissed her. Evie loved being kissed, he learned, and he did his best to give her the type of kiss she liked the most, a firm press of lips with slight sucking on her bottom lip, lingering. He wanted, needed, more than anything, to please her right in this moment.

"Thank you," he breathed out when they broke apart, his thumb brushing across her cheek. "Really, Evie, it's great." He leaned in for another kiss, quicker but just as passionate. "I think I need to thank you properly," Carlos said, echoing her words from a month before, and he now understood how she felt that day.

Smiling wide, Evie shook her head, chuckling. "No way, Carlos de Vil." She cupped his chin and gave him another lingering kiss. "But I appreciate the thought." She linked their arms, pulling him close.

"Who's the one marking everyone now?" Jay asked with a grin. He still hadn't put down his outfit.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun, Jay," Evie said sweetly, and she laughed when Jay's grin widened. "So everyone likes them? I can make the rest?"

"The rest?" Carlos asked, remembering that she had said _first installment_. "How many more are there?"

Tilting her head in thought, Evie shrugged. "I want to do a few more outfits each since there are a lot of materials to work with. M really delivered," she said a shy smile, gazing at Mal with what Carlos liked call her Dreamy Gaze.

Mal rolled her eyes, gazing at the ceiling, but Carlos could see the amused twitch of her lips. "The materials are yours to do whatever you want with, but this time, no more secrets. September will be here in four days, and Carlos needs more time to work."

"Okay," Evie said pleasantly.

Jay, finally putting down his gift, nudged Mal. "Does this mean I can go back to scavenging the barges?" He crossed his arms, settling her with a look. "You can't keep running by yourself. I'm capable of pulling my own weight now."

Carlos watched as Mal mulled it over, and he silently wanted her to refuse. Logically, he knew that having Jay permanently back out in the streets would be a boon to them; he could lessen Mal's burden of providing, well, everything for the group. But the illogical part of him, the part that Carlos didn't want or know how to let loose, wanted Jay to stay hidden away in the treehouse, away from the reach of Jafar.

"Fine," Mal said finally, and it didn't look like she found it fine at all, but Mal was smart; Carlos knew she knew what displaying Jay back at full strength would mean for the group, for the task Maleficent placed upon them. "But not today."

Snorting, Jay nodded. "Wasn't planning on leaving today. In fact," he continued, throwing an arm around Carlos' shoulders, ruffling his hair, "I was planning on keeping Carlos busy for most of the day." He grinned, his gaze a little heated as he winked at Carlos.

Carlos felt his throat dry, felt his body grow hot under that gaze.

Mal only smirked. "I figured." With that, she moved forward and gave Carlos a kiss, her hand moving to the back of his head, tugging on his hair a little as she deepened it. When she pulled away, she took Carlos' breath with her. "Try not to overdo it," Mal said, sweet tone at odds with her knowing smirk, and she moved to the hatch.

Evie detached herself from Carlos' arm, not bothering to hide her own smirk. "You boys have fun," she said as she kissed them both. "I'll check in on you later." She winked, chuckling when Carlos' cheeks grew hot all over. She followed Mal out the treehouse, going to do who knows what.

"Well," Jay began, causing Carlos' heart to race as Jay tilted his chin up, "shall we begin your birthday celebration?"

Shivering at the mere sound of Jay's voice, Carlos nodded, not trusting his own voice, and he tried not to moan outright when Jay picked him up, moving him to the blanket. Carlos closed his eyes as Jay kissed him, and all his current worries and doubts and fears faded away to the farthest reaches of his mind as he got lost in Jay's lips, in Jay's touch, in Jay's everything.

—

Once again, Evie came as close to magic as Carlos was willing to believe.

Ever since she gave them their outfits, Carlos felt... different. Knowing that Evie had taken the time to make them, to brand them with symbols designed just for them, made Carlos walk with more confidence, with more certainty, his head held up instead of bowed in the hallways.

In fact, the clothes seemed to magnify everything about all of them. Mal was utterly terrifying, the way she moved surreal, demonic even, and the gazes she had could both pierce and chill. Jay, returning to his former glory — Carlos would even say he was surpassing his former strength — moved without a single sound, grinned more brilliantly, more seductively, more dangerously. And Evie... all Evie had to do was shift her gaze, settle her eyes on someone, and she'd steal their breath, make their heart race.

When they walked the halls, when they sat in class, their peers scrambled like never before. Before, they had been attending classes in turns, two of them at school while the third stayed with Jay, and it was only recently that they all returned together, thanks to the improvement to Jay's health; now, with all of them together, the effect their new attire had on the rest of their classmates was palpable.

Their reputations were never in trouble of fading, but the four of them together, with Mal's fury, Jay's strength, Evie's allurement, and Carlos' genius, solidified their place at the top of the food chain, reinforced the notion that they should be feared.

—

"C'mon, I've been cooped up for too long!" Jay all but whined, lounging on the treehouse blanket next to Evie, trying to beat the September heat. 

Carlos buried himself in his tinkering to hide his grin. Jay had been making a fuss about fully getting back on the streets for a week now, but Mal, as always, was stubborn. 

(She still did most of the thieving for Jafar, a fact that relieved Carlos.) 

"You went to the barges twice this month," Mal pointed out, not looking up from sharpening her knife.

"Two days does not make up for my confinement. Neither does school," he added when Mal opened her mouth. "I wanna go out and make a mess of things. C'mon, Mal, I wanna be..." He let his words trail as he pulled Evie close to him, grinning. "I wanna be rotten."

"Rotten?" Evie asked as she traced his jaw with her finger. "You?" She batted her eyelashes at him, smiling coyly.

Grinning, Jay stood up in a flash, actually sweeping Evie off her feet in the process, his grin widening at her small squeal as he held her close. "You know I'm rotten to the core," he purred out. 

"And impatient, seeing as you're trying to reassure me of your strength," Mal said as she eyed Evie in his arms, a smirk on her lips, and it looked like she was actually considering granting Jay's request.

"And if Jay's rotten to the core, what about us?" Carlos quipped, crossing wires and screwing a side of the machine shut. This version was looking better than the rest — it hadn't short circuited yet.

Evie laughed as she hopped out of Jay's arms. "Isn't it obvious? We're just the same." She walked over to Mal, a small pout on her lips that was anything but sincere. "C'mon, M, we haven't been out together as a foursome in such a long time." She tilted her head, doing her best at begging. "Don't you wanna terrorize the bazaar together?"

Carlos held his breath as Mal rolled her eyes, watched as she ran her fingers along Evie's neck, an eyebrow raised in thought as she glanced at him and Jay.

"Wouldn't want anyone to think we've gone soft," Mal finally said, voice smooth as velvet. "Let's go remind people why they should cower before us."

"Hell yeah," Jay said with a grin, moving quickly to Mal's side and giving her a kiss. "Let's get this party started." He grinned, throwing his arm around Mal's shoulders and giving a squeeze.

Evie laughed, high and musical, as she flipped her hair off her shoulder. "Let's really show off our attire," she said, her hands on her hips, ready to take on the whole bazaar, ready to make them get on their knees and adore her.

Carlos even felt something like giddy in his belly as they descended the treehouse ladder, as they made their way to the bazaar. It _had_ been a while since they went to the market as a whole group, since they made a mess of things, since they walked with heads held high instead of glancing behind their back.

Maleficent's Goons hadn't given them trouble since the summons, so now they would run amok, they would make a claim, they would show off their attire, their skills, their alliance. The bazaar would once again know them, know their name, their faces, not because of their parents but because of _them_.

Jay stole things, mere junk, openly, just to mock those he stole from, all the while lifting the more valuable scores without them ever knowing. Evie swayed her hips, let her eyelashes flutter as she smiled, and she stole hearts, made them weak before she broke them, and she laughed all the while. Mal marked the bazaar as hers, brought out her spray paint from its dusty prison and wielded it like a weapon, and with a single gaze, she made people jump and run.

And Carlos, Carlos smirked, he taunted, he didn't look back. He had nothing to fear right then and there. No one would touch him, not with Jay and Mal, even Evie, close at hand, and Jay wasn't the only one who gained strength from sparring. He felt it in the way he moved, the way he ducked from people and pushed off buildings; perhaps he was coming into his body, perhaps he was becoming more than the youngest, more than the runt. 

Carlos laughed as he joined the others, feeling at ease in the bazaar as he'd never felt, but the feeling was fleeting as his laughter stopped dead at the sight of oncoming Goons. Despite the passing of seven months, his body still froze at the memory of them on him, and he swallowed, trying to make himself smaller. He noticed Mal recognize his fear, recognize the frowns on Evie's and Jay's faces, and as she turned around, Carlos saw her brace herself.

There was the briefest of pauses, and then Mal said, "Hello, mother."

As the Goons separated, Carlos paled when Maleficent herself appeared, wielding the Dragon's Eye as if it still possessed all the power in the world, and Carlos knew something was up, that the game had changed. She never left her tower, at least not so openly.

"Adding new colors to the bazaar," Maleficent said, a small shake of her head. "Disappointing." She held up her hand when Mal opened her mouth. "Enough, there's been an important development. It has been _decreed_ that, starting tomorrow, you four will go to a different school." Maleficent smirked. "In _Auradon_."

No freaking way, Carlos thought as he tried to run, only to be caught in a Goon's arms, and he struggled to get free, not wanting to be there either.

Mal threw her arms out, turning to glare at the Goons, and they eased their grip but still crowded close. Eyes narrowing, she double checked that no one was harmed by the brutes, and when she was satisfied with what she found, she turned to her mother. "We are not going to some lame boarding school," Mal said, ready to dig her heels in the dirt.

Just like when she bargained for more time to break the barrier. Carlos didn't know how she found the strength, but he was so grateful for it.

Maleficent stepped closer, smirking still despite the dangerous gleam in her eyes. "Yes, you will, and you will come with me, or I'll give another order to my henchmen. Right here and now." Her gaze flickered over to Carlos, to Jay, to Evie — or, more precisely, flickered to the Goons standing behind them — before settling back on Mal.

Carlos watched Mal's shoulders tense before she blew out a breath in a big huff. "Fine." She sounded flippant, but Carlos knew, knew how her mind was racing, thinking up ways to protect them from their increasingly bleak situation.

And by how Maleficent's smirk deepened, Maleficent knew as well. "All of you," she said, snapping her fingers as she turned, calling them as if they were lowly beasts.

Carlos certainly felt the part as the Goons herded them toward the tower.

He shared a glance with Evie, who in turn gave a subtle gesture to look at Jay. Carlos couldn't see Mal's expression because she was walking directly behind her mother, but he knew that Mal was thinking about Jay's safety, just like they all were, considering what happened the last time they all went to the tower. Carlos caught Evie's gaze again, and she deftly took off the bracelet Jay had given her without drawing too much attention.

Carlos felt hyperaware of his own necklace, almost like it was burning his skin, and he was grateful that it couldn't really be seen, but his gratefulness didn't last as they entered Maleficent's domain. He wondered if she knew, if that damn bird of hers spied on them, if it had once again told their secrets to her. If it did, if it knew Jay took his mother's belongings, if it told Maleficent, Jay would be in even more trouble with Jafar.

Glancing at Jay, at how blank his face was and how hard he kept his bearing relaxed, glancing at Mal, whose shoulders were tight with tension, Carlos wondered if they were thinking about that possibility as much as he and Evie were.

The raven cawed as they entered the main room, and Carlos tried to keep the nausea at bay as he saw his mother, and Jafar and Evil Queen, waiting for them.

But Maleficent paid no mind to them, walking straight to the large armchair sitting above the rest of the room like a throne and expecting the four of them to follow her.

"Seeing as your little pet failed to produce another machine," Maleficent began, sitting down in a big armchair, her bearing reminiscent of a queen taking the throne, "this new decree provides us with a far more effective means of escape, and a much sweeter bid at revenge." She smiled then, cruel and harsh as she focused on Mal. "Bring me Fairy Godmother's wand, and all your previous disappointments will be forgiven."

Carlos blinked, trying not to be so overt in his glance at Mal, to see how she took this new task assigned to them, and he felt like a failure for being unable to break the barrier for her.

"Some old bat's glorified stick?" Cruella asked, tapping ash off her cigarette.

"More than a glorified stick," Jafar said, sneering. "You'd know that you were magically inclined."

"There you go again," Evil Queen tutted, not even bothering to look up from her mirror.

"I'm sorry," Cruella said, sounding anything but, a biting smirk on her lips, "I couldn't hear you over the fact that I'm the only one who's still living!"

Both Jafar and Evil Queen glared at her, livid and murderous, but Maleficent slammed her staff to the floor.

"Enough!" Her eyes narrowed. "Cruella, I can change that for you once the barrier is down!"

"You don't even know if you'll still be here," Cruella said, taking a long inhale from her cigarette, her lips twitching at Maleficent's anger. She'd taken a step back.

"With the wand and the Dragon's Eye in my possession, I'll be able to bend any power to my command," Maleficent informed her, leaning back into the chair with disdain on her lips.

"An interesting theory," Evil Queen said as she applied her makeup, glancing briefly at Maleficent. "But it's still only a theory."

"More than," Jafar said, narrowing his eyes at Evil Queen, "if the kids bring it back before the new year." There was that calculating look on his face, and Carlos shivered.

"Which you will do," Maleficent said to Mal, "or face my wrath." She waved them away, forced them to move to their parents, and Carlos tried not to stare at Mal as they left her alone near Maleficent.

If we're out there, how can she reach us, Carlos thought, but even in the back of his mind he knew that Maleficent could reach them wherever and whenever she wanted. Besides, being in Auradon alone and unarmed, against threats like Beast Kings and dogs and rampant magic? That might just be as terrifying, maybe even more so.

"Carlos isn't going," Cruella said when he joined her, smoothing down his hair, turning his face to hers. "I'd miss him too much." She smiled for him.

Carlos' heart stopped. "Really, mom?" The words left his mouth before he could control them, but her sentiment shocked him. He'd noticed the change in her behavior, but he didn't think it meant anything. Was he wrong?

"Of course! Who else would I get to do all the chores and housework? You think _I_ want to do it," Cruella scoffed, cutting down what little hope Carlos had.

"Jay's not going either," Jafar said, a hand possessively on the back of Jay's neck, Jay's eyes downcast.

It took all Carlos had not to narrow his eyes.

Mal, thankfully, had no issue with openly showing her disgust, sending a fiery glare Jafar's way.

"I'm not sure if Evie's beauty could stand on its own in Auradon," Evil Queen commented woefully, and Evie kept her face blank as her mother fussed with her eyebrows. "How will she compare to those squeaky clean princesses?"

"They're _all_ going," Maleficent said, eyes flashing, "and when they've completed their tasks, I'll never have to hear your incessant whining again! You could finally kill them for all I care." She grabbed Mal by the front of her jacket and pulled her close. "This is your last chance to prove yourself to me, to prove yourself worthy of that mark on your back!"

Carlos tried not to react, but it was hard, especially since Mal looked shaken. Is that why she never undressed in front of us, he wondered, shaken himself at how... small Mal looked now. He'd never seen her look less than confident, less than deadly, always on sure footing. Even when she gathered them in his treehouse after Maleficent's order, Carlos didn't see Mal _look_ anything but calm and collected. Yeah, she faltered a little with her words, but her face remained the same.

Seeing her look lost, almost like a wounded child, Carlos didn't know what to do. He didn't know what he _could_ do. He'd been trying, trying so hard to build another, bigger, better machine for Mal, and he failed with that, failed at getting Maleficent off Mal's back, and now this? He had no idea how to work around magic, had no idea what use he could be to her now.

Why did they name him in the decree? Why did they name any of them in the decree?

"Someone will be here midday tomorrow to fetch you," Maleficent continued, releasing her daughter, "and you will be packed and waiting. All of you." She flung her arm out in a wide gesture, giving them their leave. "Now get out. I have things to discuss with my daughter."

As Cruella pulled on his arm, Carlos caught Mal's eye, the twitch of her lips, and for once, Carlos knew what she was trying to convey. He caught Evie's eye as she followed her mother out, tried to catch Jay's as he was pushed out by his father, trying to send them the same message: meet at the treehouse after packing.

If they could escape their parents' grip on this final night on the island.

———

Mal watched everyone leave her mother's tower, a growing dread settling in her stomach, trying in vain to will the night's end. She tried not to think about Jay and Jafar's hand on his neck, demanding of whoever was listening to spare Jay from Jafar's lust. She demanded that Carlos and Evie be spared, too, from whatever their mothers had planned on this final night.

"Mal," Maleficent called, voice soft, unassuming, yet still cutting through Mal's thoughts like a dagger.

It chilled Mal.

"Yes," she answered, turning toward her mother, trying to brace herself for whatever topic of conversation this would be, trying to ignore the way that damned raven sat perched among the rafters, watching everything with a critical eye.

"Have you wondered why I haven't given you to Jafar yet?" Maleficent asked, tone and demeanor bored.

"What," Mal said flatly, unprepared for the question.

Head tilting slightly, Maleficent raised an eyebrow. "Oh, didn't you know? He demanded I give you to him for a week as retribution for touching what is his."

Mal paled. She hadn't considered that Jafar, rather than attacking her outright, would go over her and to her mother. Where did he get the balls to demand such a thing, she wondered, trying not focus on the fact that Maleficent had said _yet_.

"I, of course, haven't granted his demand yet. No need to entertain the possibility of him siring a granddaughter." She frowned, disgusted at the mere thought, until she physically waved the thought away. "Beyond that, do you know the reason I haven't given you to Jafar?"

Unable to speak, Mal shook her head.

"I haven't given you to him, oh daughter mine," Maleficent began, speaking slowly as if to an ignorant child, "because I wanted to keep you clean. Well, as clean as you could be, given how you insist on lying in bed with those rabble." Disdain curled on her upper lip.

"What do you mean clean?" Mal asked quietly, not trusting her voice any louder.

"Only half of the blood in your veins is from the fae, yet it still influences you, no?" Maleficent's gaze pierced her. "I know how your little minions go at each other, lowly little beasts in heat, and though you are present and _participate_ somewhat, that bodily hunger doesn't fully entice you, correct?"

Mal swallowed, transfixed as she couldn't help but nod.

"We don't have urges such as those. It isn't in our design. However, you are marred with human blood, so some extra measures need to be taken to keep you clean."

"Who marred me," Mal found herself saying, interrupting Maleficent, still transfixed by her mother's words, by this lesson in who she was that was sixteen years too late, because it had always been a question burning in her mind: who had Maleficent deigned to bed?

"It doesn't matter now," Maleficent waved the topic away with a flick of her wrist. "If the fool hasn't died in my dungeon by now, then his mind has been lost, along with the rest of those wretched creatures who had a hand in creating your minions."

Mal willed herself impassive, willed herself not to react to the fact that the other half of their parents were hidden away in Maleficent's old catacombs, possibly _alive_.

"Ah, you're thinking of paying them a visit," Maleficent said with a nasty smirk. "I suppose the street rat would like to see his mother, given how he kept such trivial things." She brushed Mal's hair away and caressed Mal's ear, the one adorned with Jay's earring, and Mal shivered, staring wide-eyed at her mother. Maleficent smiled. "Oh, yes, I know to whom this earring belongs, just like I know what other pieces of jewelry the little street rat took from Jafar's stash."

"Why have you kept quiet?" Mal asked, just a whisper. It didn't make any sense. Maleficent was the one who gave up Jay's secret, who handed Jay over to Jafar, so why should she hold her tongue when it came to his mother's jewelry?

"You don't reveal your cards until the right moment, little child, and I want you to know I hold more cards than you can count, should you decide to betray me, which brings us back to the original topic of this conversation. Do you know why I've kept you clean?"

"No..." Mal let her voice trail, now more uncertain and, she hated to admit it, scared of what words would come out of Maleficent's mouth.

Maleficent smiled, slowly, baring her teeth. "What would the people of Auradon think, how would they react, if they found out that Jay lets his father fuck him?" She let her words sink in before continuing. "That Carlos works like a dog because he's treated like one, gets beat like one? That Evie barely eats, that she drinks a decoction so she can fuck men countless times without the risk of pregnancy?"

"They wouldn't care," Mal insisted, uneasy, because why would they care? People who cared wouldn't seal them away on an island with no thought of escape. Why did her mother bring this up?

Maleficent laughed. "No, daughter mine, _I_ don't care. The majority of the people on this rock don't care. Those in Auradon? They will hate, scorn, and jeer; they will revile them as a monster." She moved toward Mal, slow, steady, a predator waiting to strike. "If the truth gets out, no one there will want them, and they'll be sent back here, back to their parents." That sinister smile appeared on her face. "Then, I will watch as those miserable fools you claimed as yours are ripped and torn apart as they scream for death, and I'll remind them, day after miserable day when death fails to take them, just who it was that abandoned them."

Mal stared at her mother, horrified to see the conviction in her expression, horrified at the mere possibility of her words becoming truth. 

That cruel smile never left Maleficent's lips. " _That_ , oh daughter mine, is the reason I've kept you clean, so the people of Auradon will be the least disgusted with you."

There's no way, Mal thought, her heart racing. "How could you possibly know that—"

"I did not get the title of Mistress of all Evil for nothing, you silly girl. There is always a plan, always a card to hold." Maleficent narrowed her eyes, standing her full height, and delivered her command — her command and her threat. "You will retrieve the wand, you will bring it back to me, or you and your little wretches will know exactly what I am capable of, even from within this prison."

Mal swallowed, trying not to let her fear, her anger, her emotions override her, trying to think up any plan to carry out this task with minimal consequences, because she would not let what her mother said come to pass.

Maleficent, who had moved to the worn fridge that housed more experiments than food, opened the freezer and took out a book, its cover and pages smoking in the warmer air of the room. "Here," Maleficent said, offering it to her, "something to aid your task."

As confidently as she could, Mal walked to her mother and retrieved the book. The mark of the dragon was sealed onto the cover, and though the leather was cold, somehow, it felt alive. Mal swallowed again. "This is—"

"My old spell book," Maleficent finished. "Useless here, but Auradon shall provide the spark of life it's been missing. Let us see if you're worthy of its use, if it reacts to the mark on your back." Her expression clearly told Mal that Maleficent did not think she was capable of using the book, of proving her own power. "Now go. Tell them, if you like, your little minions, of what was discussed between us. Spend one last night in that treehouse, if you wish, planning and doing whatever else. Come morning, your task begins, and their fate lies in your hands."

Clutching the spell book, Mal clenched her jaw and turned on her heel, intent to pack a bag or two for the trip and get to the treehouse, to discuss everything with the others, to make sure they had a plan, something surefire, to steal the wand, to avoid the fate Maleficent had described.

"I told you once, didn't I," Maleficent said before she left, waiting for Mal to turn around before continuing. "Fear is always the better motivator." Maleficent smiled, certain of her victory as she laughed, that damn raven joining in from its perch.

Both scared at what Maleficent had promised to do should Mal fail and _furious_ at the thought that Maleficent was playing her so easily, so thoroughly, Mal squared her shoulders and disappeared to her room, trying to ignore her mother's cackle, the raven's caw, as she began packing, a fire in her gut, blazing with the desire to prove her mother wrong, to prove that she was capable of such great and terrible things, to prove that she could get the wand for her mother and still guard what was hers.

Nothing and no one, in Auradon or the island, would get in her way.

———

Carlos tried not to pace in his treehouse, if only to keep Evie from worrying.

His mother hadn't said much to him on the way back to the manor, hadn't spoken a word once they arrived, just watched as Carlos left to pack what little things he had for the trip. It had made him nervous, skittish, and as he headed for the door, he had expected another one of her tantrums.

Instead, Cruella had placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him cold, turned him to her, and lifted his chin. "Dear boy," she cooed as she petted his hair and caressed his cheek, "do take care of yourself in Auradon."

Carlos felt his throat close. "Mother...?"

Cruella had smiled, still petting him. "Not all dogs" — Carlos flinched — "are as well trained as Roscoe and DeSoto. In Auradon, they will tear you apart at first sight." Her smile grew a little wider, a gleam to her eyes. "If you can't take their fur, make sure they don't take you alive. Because they'll never stop using your body, my pet."

And with that, Cruella had nudged him out of her home, let him leave for the treehouse, his heart hammering in his chest with each step.

He still didn't know how to feel about that conversation.

Evie had arrived soon after, and though she smiled for him, she remained quiet, fiddling with the hem of her skirt as she sat there, glancing at the hatch every now and then, and a part of him wondered if Evie had her own odd conversation with her mother.

Carlos didn't want to say anything to break the silence, knew that they were both concerned about Jay and Mal, about what Jafar and Maleficent were doing to them to make them take so long — or at least, it felt like a long time.

The hatch flew open, startling Evie and Carlos, and after tossing a sack into the treehouse, Jay hauled himself up, his face blank. There were bruises on his neck, his jaw redder than usual, and Carlos took a deep, silent breath to keep calm.

Without a word, Jay moved to Evie, baring his neck as she immediately produced her ointment, making quick work to cover the bruises. He glanced at Carlos. "No Mal?"

"Not yet," Carlos answered, surprised at how steady his voice was. Inside, he was anything but.

Jay didn't like his answer, but there wasn't much any of them could do about it. Except wait, and they all hated waiting.

Carlos might have hated it more than the others. Waiting usually meant a severe beating. Waiting meant thinking, meant reflection, meant trying not to think about what Jafar had done to Jay as a farewell, trying not to think about what Maleficent was giving Mal as a parting gift.

Waiting did nothing for him.

A curse sounded just outside the hatch, and Carlos, along with Evie and Jay, perked up: Mal had arrived. But instead of feeling relief, Carlos only frowned. Something was wrong; he could hear it in the way Mal struggled to get up the ladder, her movements too frantic.

It took longer than he expected, but Mal had made it through the hatch, throwing her bag down as she stalked toward them.

"Mal," Evie breathed out as she stood, Jay following on her heel, "what's happened?" Both she and Jay didn't bother to hide their concerned expressions, and Carlos couldn't blame them.

He'd rarely seen Mal this intense, rarely seen her intensity focused on _them_.

Mal ignored Evie, though, her focus entirely on Jay. "Have sex with me," she said to him, unblinking.

"What," Jay said flatly.

Alarmed, Carlos looked at Evie, taking in her own alarmed expression, and he wondered what could have possibly brought this on; they all knew Mal didn't like to be on the receiving end of things that weren't kisses, and she only kissed if she was the one initiating.

"Fuck me," Mal said slowly, speaking through her teeth, annoyed that Jay was so slow to comprehend.

To be fair, Carlos didn't comprehend either. He was pretty sure Evie didn't as well.

"No," Jay said, brow creasing as he frowned. "You don't like—"

"Who gives a shit," Mal cut in, just shy of biting, "just fuck me."

Expression growing stormy, Jay held his ground. "I give a shit. I'm not fucking you. What's going on?"

"Carlos," Mal said, turning to him abruptly, and Carlos swallowed, frozen on the spot.

Jay got in Mal's face, actually placing a hand on her chest and pushing her some. "Don't you fucking dare, Mal!"

They got into each other's faces, arms gesturing wildly as they pushed the other back and forth, and though their mouths were moving, all Carlos could hear was the blood rushing in his ears, the pounding of his heart; he could feel beads of sweat trickle down his skin. What had gotten into Mal?

"Stop!" Evie yelled, expression hard, trying to thrust herself between Jay and Mal, getting shoved in the process. "Stop it!"

"M-Mal?" Carlos managed to get out, barely above a whisper, and his panic only worsened when the three of them froze, their attention on him. He didn't want their attention, wanted to fuck Mal even less, but if that was her demand, could he even refuse, after all that she had done for them?

"Carlos, no," Jay said, speaking as if he could read his thoughts, and maybe he could; he'd always been eerily good at reading Carlos from the start. Jay released Mal, moving so that he was between her and Carlos, but he did or said nothing further, eyes trained on Mal.

"Mal," Evie said softly, breaking the tension before it grew too stifling, "what's going on?" She got closer to Mal, bearing non-threatening as she tried to hide her concern.

"I need one of you to fuck me before we head to Auradon," Mal said, quieter and less demanding than before, but her tone still held authority, her expression still determined. "I was gonna let some random idiot from the bazaar do it, but no one will come near me. And that was my own doing!" She scowled, and she actually began to pace. "This is what she wanted!" she muttered to herself, scowling harsher, her eyes flashing green. "She challenged me to make a name for myself because she didn't want them to touch me!"

Evie glanced at them, a little frightened and more than a little confused, and she chanced a step forward. "M, you're not making any sense."

"It makes perfect sense," Mal snapped, her pacing ceased as she turned to them again. "If one of you won't fuck me before going to Auradon, I'll—"

"Mal," Jay nearly growled out, taking a step toward her, challenging, "stop making this about you."

"Fuck you, Jay," Mal spat out, her hands, her whole body, shaking with the effort to keep still. "You don't know—"

"Then _tell_ us!" Jay all but shouted, frustrated, and he grabbed her shoulder, shaking her a little. "Stop keeping things from us."

"I'm _not_ ," Mal insisted, pushing Jay back. "I just learned a shit ton of information, okay, so forgive me for fucking processing it!"

Jay blinked, taking a step back, and Evie took a step forward, her brow creased with worry. "What information?"

Carlos watched as Mal's face became noticeably paler even as she glared at them all. "There's a chance the other half of our parents are alive," she muttered, and the look on her face could frighten the most vicious beast.

"What...?" Carlos asked slowly, not sure if he heard her correctly.

But he did.

With each word Mal said, recounting the conversation with her mother, Carlos became numb, both in mind and body. How could Maleficent be so cunning, be so prepared? He'd been right, when he guessed that Maleficent could reach them even if they were in Auradon. Given all that Mal was saying, given all the cards that Maleficent had revealed, given all the cards that she _didn't_ reveal, Carlos no longer doubted the presence of magic, no longer believed that there was anywhere to hide from the gaze of the Mistress of all Evil.

The treehouse was silent after Mal finished speaking, and for a long while no one looked at each other as Mal's words were processed. How could they say anything?

All his life, Carlos lived under the assumption, under the _truth_ , that he'd never know about the man who sired him, and for the longest time, he believed he never needed to know; to him, the man was dead or long gone. But now? He wasn't too sure. Was it possible for someone to survive fourteen years locked away in a dungeon? He doubted Maleficent was the kind of keeper to actually take care of her prisoners, especially since the barrier prevented death.

And he should know; sometimes, late at night, he could still feel the ache of steel within his heart.

But fourteen years, Carlos thought, disbelieving. It couldn't be possible. After all, Jay had survived a little over two weeks without food, but he had nearly withered away. Carlos shuddered to think about what someone must look like after fourteen years of torture.

Evie quietly cleared her throat, eyes downcast and brow furrowed as she prepared to address them, prepared to address what they had learned. "Why... why would Maleficent keep our parents in _her_ dungeon?" Her eyes searched their faces, even though the answer would not be there. "Why not just Mal's?"

"For whatever plan she's been concocting for _twenty_ years," Mal all but spat out, arms crossed as she scowled at the floor. "Hell, she's probably been scheming since the moment they brought her back to life."

The thought terrified Carlos. Because why _would_ Maleficent lock up their parents? Why would she care to aid Jafar, or the Evil Queen, or Cruella? Was it truly part of some scheme she had concocted? Had their meeting, somehow, been _planned_? Could she have known that Jay would find him that day, that Mal would take them under her protection, that Carlos would take to Evie so well? Had everything been just a part of some big plan of Maleficent's?

Jay swallowed, paler than usual. "So what does this mean?"

"This changes nothing," Carlos found himself saying, and he blinked, looking at them as they stared at him with wide eyes.

"Carlos," Evie began, tone unsure.

Carlos shook his head. "It changes nothing," he said again, and this time, he believed himself, saw the logic in his own words. "There's nothing we can do here. We have no power on this island."

What could they do? Storm Maleficent's keep in order to rescue their long lost parents, people who might not even be _people_ enough to save?

Another silence settled over the treehouse, and Carlos watched as they deliberated, watched as they thought things through, as they came to the conclusion his mouth knew before his mind did. Though, he tried not to look too closely at Jay; he'd never seen Jay so conflicted, so lost, and the sight made Carlos' necklace burn his skin.

"Carlos is right," Mal said, breaking the silence, and she hastily ran her hands through her hair. "The best bet we have at seeing them is to get the wand." She frowned as she swallowed, steeling herself.

"But getting the wand means going to Auradon," Jay murmured, arms crossed, his fingers kneading into his own flesh, and Carlos knew what he was thinking, knew that Jay didn't want anyone else to know about what Jafar did to him.

Evie grabbed Jay's hand, brought it to her chest and held tight, determined. "We're not going to let Auradon defeat us," she said, adamant. "They're not going to learn anything about us." She looked at Mal. "No one needs to fuck you because they're _not_ going to learn anything." She glanced at each of them, slow and measured, conveying her belief, a promise she had no authority to make.

Because none of them had any idea what would happen once they set foot in Auradon, didn't know what lurked beyond the barrier, and they had no way of guessing how things were going to go down once they got there.

"We're getting that wand," Mal said, more to herself at first, but she gazed up at them, green fire in her eyes. "We're getting that wand, and we're going to do it in one piece."

Mal gathered them close, a tight circle as they invaded each other's space, and Jay and Evie, opposite the other, automatically draped their arms around them, bringing the circle in even tighter. "We're getting that wand," Mal repeated once more.

Though he nodded along with Evie and Jay, Carlos couldn't help but swallow, unease pooling in his gut, wondering if this task could be done, wondering if Auradon would split them up and tear them apart.

Not breaking contact, they moved to the blanket, to the corner of the treehouse they knew so well, settling down in a mess of limbs, and remained there, quiet and thoughtful and trying to rest. And trying not to think too much about the days ahead.

They hardly had anything to gain should they succeed, but they all had everything to lose should they fail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title and summary taken from Finale: Children Will Listen from Into the Woods [listen to the Bernadette Peters show recording, okay, as that one is much better and actually showcases the full song/finale unlike the movie version; if you haven't noticed, the chapter titles and the songs they're taken from were chosen because they either have the same feelings/themes I wanted to convey in the chapter itself or expand on them a little. In this case, the Finale: Children Will Listen can pretty much apply to the story as a whole. A bit of bonus trivia lol]
> 
> An explanation:
> 
> ***  
> In his greed and lust [greed and lust as in Jay's mother was both beautiful and a magic user, so Jafar knows that there is power lying dormant in Jay, and he wants it for himself], Jafar manipulated and groomed Jay to pleasure him on both Jay's birthday and Jafar's own. It's been going on ever since Jay's eighth birthday [if you recall, the reason Jay got jumped in chapter one was because he was thinking about the actual birthday party Jafar had promised him; Jafar had been planning it all along]. Jafar deals out hints for young Jay to grow his hair long and wear one of his mother's earrings because Jay resembles her a lot, all of which Jafar makes it seem like the ideas were Jay's through gaslighting techniques [you may recall Jay's reaction to when Carlos first tried touch the earring in the previous chapter]. This leads Jay to think he was the one who asked for it in the beginning, thus not recognizing it as the rape it is, and, because of that, he thinks he has no right to complain now. [Up until now, Jafar wasn't always so rough, which only added to the conflicted feelings and Jay's shame.] This whole abuse is the reason Jay knew how to clean up after sex so efficiently [Jafar made him do clean up], and it's also the reason Jay agreed to sex with Carlos; he not only is kind of conditioned to please someone that way, he also wanted to compare experiences [re: topping and bottoming]. He just hadn't counted on feelings getting into the mix, and he's conflicted. The abuse is also why Jay is the way he is: his subconscious is telling him if he can't protect himself, he needs to protect others [his automatic response to finding Carlos the first time; the reason he clicked so hard and swift with Carlos], he needs to show his strength to demonstrate to himself that he does indeed have strength, even if he doesn't think he can use it against Jafar.
> 
> All of this will come to bite Jay, and those closest to him, in the ass in the long run [and I'm mostly talking sequel, here. It's going to be extremely relevant in the sequel, which will be hinted at in the last segment of the last chapter of this fic; I've already written the ending, weh].  
> ***
> 
> If you're still with me, you have my many thanks and admiration.
> 
> I've warned that this story has crossed into beyond-help-fucked-up territory. Thankfully, the Core Four head to Auradon in the next chapter, so things get better. For the most part. [I just want to skip to chapter seven so I can finally write from Ben's point of view why can't I just skip to that chapter why is writing so hard?? oh well at least Ben enters the scene next chapter]
> 
> Check out my little attempt at meta [here](http://thatoneshippyblog.tumblr.com/post/131756820835/descendants-like-a-glove) if you'd like to take your mind off this chapter for a bit. [Warning though: that tumblr is my nsfw sideblog, so proceed with caution; I'd stick to the Descendants tag, unless you're feeling brave.] Also, feel free to nag me there if updates take too long. Or feel free to just talk/rant/vent at me, bounce ideas off of me, and such. Tumblr took away tracked tags, but it added an IM feature, and that includes sideblogs!
> 
> [No, that isn't my attempt at gaining people to actually rant about this movie with, no, what're you talking about, shhhh]
> 
> Happy New Year!


	6. The smile that's on my mouth (hiding the words that don't come out)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Core Four thought experiencing life on the island would prepare and harden them for anything. And then they came to Auradon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! Sorry I'm super late with this update. Uni, work, and myself [I got a little carried away with things as per usual ugh why am I me] got in the way. Anyway. I cheated a bit with this chapter because I used dialogue from the movie, but I've mostly tweaked it to better fit the story/characters [with the exception of Fairy Godmother and Ben, whose dialogue will remain mostly the same throughout the story because, one, FG cracked me up and I love her, and two, Ben is too precious I feel like I'd taint him (which I will, but that comes later)]. There's a specific reason I needed to tweak a lot of what Mal said in the movie. Bonus points if you can figure out why!
> 
> Also, just an FYI, I've decided that Auradon and the surrounding areas/world its in is not equivalent to ours. Which is just me being lazy by not wanting to try to make our history [or the history of the characters' respective movies] fit into the Descendants universe. The Events/Plot that happened within the Disney Theatrical Animated Features, excluding Pixar [and a few other animated features such as Big Hero 6 and Treasure Planet], will be canon in this fic [as well as the material related to those features, i.e. the sequels and series (particularly those of the Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast)]. The time lines, though, will be adjusted. Only the Animated Features' canon will be considered canon for this fic.
> 
> [One of the many unnecessary things I've thought about/jotted down to make sense to myself; I don't think anyone wants me to go into it lol most of it is sorta hand wavey anyway. For example, Tiana does hail from New Orleans, but the USA isn't a thing. Tiana's New Orleans and our NOLA is similar (especially since I live about 30 minutes away from the real thing lol), but ultimately, they're different places with different histories and locations in relation to the rest of the World.]
> 
> [Also, that was just an example. Tiana and her family will not show up in this chapter. Which just goes to show you how much I overthink things shoot me]
> 
> Now that the rambling is out of the way! Warnings!
> 
> There are references to the abuses the Core Four have gone through on the island, but nothing graphic or explicit is showcased. However, be especially warned that Jay's POV will have references to Jafar, and while it might not go into detail, it may still squick some people out. And though I said I wasn't going to warn for it anymore, there are sex scenes between underage persons [only among the Core Four; sorry you Ben/Carlos and Ben/Jay fans, you're gonna have to wait a bit, d'ohhohohoho]. Also, that self-harm tag does not apply to any of the Core Four physically harming themselves [i.e. cutting or substance abuse] but rather to their mentality on the use of sex. It's kinda subtle [or not, apparently I can't tell anymore, yikes], but it's there. If I need to tag better for it, or anything else, let me know.
> 
> Once again, this is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are my own! But please let me know if I've made any; my eyes are super tired, so I might have missed some things. Also, I've changed some scenes present in the movie because, again, in this fic they'll be at Auradon Prep for more than a month. Also also, as for the length of this chapter [which I profusely apologize for like oh my gosh], I think everyone will be able to tell that Jay is my favorite, as the only reason this is so long is because the majority of it focuses on his POV, which has been severely lacking in previous chapters [which was done on purpose, but still].

Jay hardly slept.

He couldn't see how the others were able to, couldn't fathom the will they had to just... close their eyes and sleep. But they had. He spent the night with them enough to know the rhythm of their breath when they slept, even knew the difference between the type of sleep they had. While Mal's had been on the restless side, she still slept the night through, sandwiched between Carlos and Evie, the both of _them_ sleeping relatively soundly.

But Jay couldn't let sleep take him, couldn't even _attempt_.

All their lives, Auradon seemed like a myth, despite its coastline clearly visible in the distance. None of them, himself especially, ever thought much about that kingdom, a kingdom that might as well be another world, and they never thought they'd actually set foot on its soil, never thought there was a way to truly break free of the barrier.

And yet, come the noon sun, they would be ushered off, taken away from an island they knew so well, small and crowded and dark as it was, and placed in a land that stretched far more than they would ever see, a land too big and bright, a land that threatened to swallow them up and never let them go.

Closing his eyes, Jay tried not to shudder.

He could handle beatings, could deal with fighting for his life, for survival, but Maleficent hadn't promised that. She had promised something worse. If she wished it — and he had no doubt in his mind that she could do it, had no problem whatsoever in believing that she _would_ — Jay's secret, the one he never wanted to get out, especially to Carlos, to Evie, to _Mal_ , would be spread all over Auradon, and he'd be taken away from them, wouldn't be able to protect them.

He'd be left at the mercy of his father, alone, with no chance of recovering, while Mal, Evie, and Carlos were left alone in Auradon.

The thought made him sick.

Jay startled when Mal startled awake, her eyes flinging open as her whole body tensed, lying there motionless as stone as she took in her surroundings. Slowly, she sat up, whatever dream she'd been having leaving her eyes as they gained full awareness, and in her recognition she grew tired, her face and shoulders sagging, as if she hadn't been sleeping all night.

Her focus landed on him, on the way he sat propped against the wall, distant but overlooking. "What time is it?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

"Almost seven," Jay answered, his heart, for some reason, quickening its pace. Soon, they would have to make their way to Maleficent's tower. Soon, they would be on their way to Auradon.

Disentangling herself from the two sleeping besides her, Mal moved close, moved so that she was straddling Jay's lap, the way she placed her hands on his chest causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"What is this?" he asked even has he let his hands rest on her hips. He didn't want to admit that her presence here, so close, grounded him.

"It's not too late, Jay," Mal whispered, leaning in. "We can still fuck before it's time."

Jay let Mal kiss him, let himself pull her close, but when that kiss ended, he gently pushed her away. "It's not something you want," he reminded her, reminded himself.

Frowning, Mal made no move to leave, just kept her hands on his chest. "What I don't want is the scenario Maleficent foretold. What I don't want is you and the others leaving my sight simply because I couldn't get over a bogus genetic roadblock."

Despite the circumstances, Jay found himself grinning at the blatant frustration on Mal's face, at the petulant way she held her lips. So he kissed her again, easing into it since he knew she preferred to initiate. "What happened to us getting that wand?" he murmured against her lips when they broke apart.

Huffing, Mal pulled away, sensing an unwinnable fight, and she flicked his forehead. "It's called contingency planning," Mal said, settling next to him. "But what's the point?" She frowned again, glaring at the floor. "I don't have whatever it takes to concoct far reaching plans like my mother."

Jay didn't know what to say to that. Despite wanting to reassure her, he didn't know if he believed, didn't know if Mal — beautiful, brilliant, wicked Mal — had what it took either. And though he was used to lying, Jay hardly did so to Mal's face. He didn't think he could start now, not when he himself was so unsteady.

"Of course you do," Evie said, startling both. She sat up, eyes and movement still laced with sleep, but her expression was stern. "Mal, I told you, we're not going to let Auradon defeat us."

The sight of Evie, fiery and indignant on their behalf, made Jay smile; at least she could be Mal's support.

"Not letting them defeat us doesn't necessarily mean I have what it takes," Mal countered, but it was clear from her expression, from the tension in her shoulders, that she didn't want to talk about the subject anymore, not with Evie wide awake and Carlos stirring.

"Trust me, M, Auradon won't know what hit them," Evie said as she stretched, more aware and awake now.

Carlos gave a small groan as he too sat up. "And here I was thinking it was a dream," he mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Which part?" Jay asked, unable to keep from grinning at Carlos' frown; the boy never did like mornings. 

Carlos snorted. "Good point," he said as he moved to his workstation, fiddling with something.

They remained silent for a few lingering moments, and Jay had the distinct feeling that they were doing the same thing he was: memorizing the treehouse; for some reason, it felt like they were never going to see it again.

That doesn't bode well, he thought as he pushed himself up off of the floor, running his hands through his hair, messing it up further. "So," he said, breaking the silence, "when do we wanna head back?" It was the last thing Jay wanted to do, but he knew the consequences should they fail to impress Maleficent.

Evie, who had been reapplying her makeup, put away the compact mirror with a sigh. "I still can't believe it..." she murmured, glancing at each of them. "Auradon called us by name."

"Yeah, funny that," Mal said, her gaze traveling to the only window in the treehouse, as if she could see Auradon from there. "Funny how it was the four of us chosen." She peered at them from the corner of her eye.

"Don't know if _funny_ is the right word," Jay muttered. He didn't want to think about Maleficent any more than he already had all night, didn't want to accept the fact that the Mistress of all Evil could have planned everything up until this moment, didn't want to ponder on how, exactly, she'd managed to predict the decree.

"Oh!" Evie exclaimed, startling them all, and she opened her makeup box and pulled out an old, cracked mirror. "I forgot to mention it, but I was given my mother's magic mirror to aid in our task." She held up the miniature looking glass.

Mal stared, eyebrow raised. " _That's_ your mom's magic mirror?"

Evie smiled widened. "That's exactly what I thought," she said in amusement, turning the mirror over to peer at her reflection. "It won't work here, but it will in Auradon."

"So she says," Carlos commented with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, non-believer," Evie teased as she tucked the mirror away safely in her makeup box.

A raven cawed, and Mal's eyes instantly turned a shade of emerald before she blinked the color away, breathing out through her nose, nostrils flaring for a brief second.

Jay raised an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

Sticking her jaw out a little, Mal gave a half-hearted shrug. "Hearing that sound boils my blood." Huffing, she grabbed her bag. "C'mon, might as well get this over with." She moved to the hatch, clearly in no mood to talk further on the topic, on any topic.

Jay tried not to swallow too audibly, glancing at Evie and Carlos, watching any trace of ease leave their face as they gathered their own bags, following Mal's lead, and Jay had to steady himself as he brought up the rear. He'd never been so nervous in his life, and it was a feeling he did _not_ like.

At least with the island, at least with Jafar, Jay knew what he was getting into, knew what was expected and what would come, but Auradon? Auradon presented a great big unknown, and just the thought of it made Jay sick, but he pushed it aside, told himself to calm down and get centered. Because it would be a cold day in Hell before Jay let anyone else see his weakness, before he gave into that weakness and abandoned Mal, Evie, and Carlos.

He didn't like anything about this decree, but that didn't mean Jay wouldn't see it through.

Still, Jay couldn't help but feel like they were walking to their own death sentences as they neared Maleficent's tower, and the feeling only doubled when he spotted his father waiting at the doors with Cruella and Evil Queen.

Swallowing, Jay forced himself to walk to his father with sure steps, with a relaxed body, making sure he didn't falter when Jafar met him the last distance, stopping mere inches away from Jay.

Jafar narrowed his eyes as his gaze fell on Jay's neck, on the lack of bruises, and he gave Jay a disapproving frown as he grabbed the back of his head. "Don't let any of them touch you," Jafar warned, his hold on Jay tightening. "Don't let them take what isn't theirs."

"Yes, sir," Jay murmured, his skin burning, and he tried not to look at the others, tried not to see their expressions.

"They won't appreciate you, little treasure, not like I do," Jafar said softly, the corners of his lips twitching upward. "So make me proud by collecting their gold."

Unable to speak, Jay simply nodded, thankful that Jafar's attention shifted away from him when a vehicle pulled up. Against his better judgement, Jay chanced a glance at the others, unable to catch Carlos' eyes and unwilling to hold Evie's gaze for more than a second. He couldn't find Mal, and that had panic rising within him until he spotted that glimpse of purple hair leaving the tower.

Mal was paler than usual, but she appeared unharmed, so Jay would take it.

He circled the limo, just to give him something to calm his nerves, to take his mind off of _why_ Mal was in that tower again, and that was when he noticed the glimmer on top of the hood. Checking to make sure the driver was preoccupied, Jay took his beanie off and nicked the gold ornament, figuring that presenting the trinket to his father would appease Jafar, would show him Jay's conviction to his demands.

Jafar grinned once the trinket was in his hand, his free hand gripping the back of Jay's neck.

"Carlos!"

Jay let his eyes flicker to the noise before he could control it, and Jay realized his mistake when he felt Jafar's grip tighten. As calmly as he could, he looked his father in the eyes.

Jafar barely contained his fury. "I will allow you to satisfy your lust with others in my absence," he whispered menacingly, his grip punishing, "but the moment Maleficent gets that wand, you belong _only_ to me." He narrowed his eyes. "Or I get the waif."

Not wanting to remember their conversation the night before, Jay nodded. "Yes, sir."

Satisfied with his answer, Jafar let Jay go, and Jay could feel his eyes on him up until he ducked into the limo, and even then it felt like they were still with him.

"Are you okay?" Evie asked immediately as he settled between her and Carlos, and she directed the question to both him and Carlos.

Jay just nodded, not wanting them to fuss over his stupid mistakes, over his vices, over his sin, and he focused on Carlos as the younger shrugged. As the limo moved, Jay met Mal's gaze, and he couldn't hold it.

Which brought his attention to the other side of the limo, adorned with such an assortment of sweets the like Jay had never seen before. He shared a glance with Carlos, saw the wonder in his eyes, and Jay felt the uneasiness in his gut dissipate, felt the corners of his mouth curve upward, and he and Carlos reached for the candy at the same time.

He could hear Mal's snort as they grabbed and sampled the different sweets, and he saw Evie wait for Mal's approval before trying some herself. In the back of his mind, he was glad Mal found their antics childish, glad she could find amusement in it even as she inspected the limo herself. Anything that kept that haunted look off of her face was fine by Jay, and when he noticed her pick up some sort of remote, he returned his attention on the sweets, on Carlos.

Evie's cry of, "Look!" got his attention, pulled his gaze away from whatever type of sweet Carlos was offering him, and Jay saw out the front window, saw the limo driving directly to the edge of the barrier, no signs of stopping and no signs of a way out.

"It's a trap!" Carlos yelled.

Immediately, Jay wrapped the three in his arms, protecting them as best as he could and bracing himself for the inevitable. And despite death right in front of them, despite the sickening feeling forming in his gut at how _young_ Mal and Evie were, how young _Carlos_ was, at how the three of them never got to show the island, show the world, just what they were capable of, Jay only had one main thought coursing through his mind:

At least we're dying together, at least we're dying quick.

Squeezing them closer, Jay took a breath as he stared out the window, accepting his fate.

Only, nothing happened. For several long, long moments.

Slowly, Jay blinked, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things, and let his hold on Mal loosen as she sat up straight, as Evie peered around, as Carlos slowly, so slowly, moved from his side.

"What just happened?" Carlos asked, astonished.

"It must be magic," Evie whispered, excitement growing as she, too, noticed some type of glowing, gold dust surrounding them, forming a makeshift bridge for the limo.

Eyebrow raised, Mal turned to the driver, tapping the remote on the window to get his attention. "Did this just open a portal through the barrier?"

Expression blank, the driver answered. "No, _this_ opened the magic barrier." He held up a golden remote with a singular, large button. "That one opens my garage. And _this_ button..." He let his voice trail as he pressed one of the buttons above him, letting the window close on them once more.

Mal huffed, turning around, expression thoughtful, almost impressed. "Didn't think Auradonians could play nasty."

"It's so beautiful," Evie cooed as she gazed out the window.

"What, the sea?" Carlos asked, scrunching up his nose again.

Mal snorted. "She's probably talking about the whole swirling magic gold dust thing, Carlos."

Just as Jay was about to grin, Carlos said, "Swirling _what_?"

Evie's attention snapped on Carlos, and Mal raised an eyebrow. Jay mirrored them, feeling uneasy.

Evie spoke first. "You mean you can't see it?" she asked, puzzled.

"Is this a joke?" Carlos asked flatly, unamused and unimpressed.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Mal challenged, and, no, she looked anything but amused. "How else do you think we're traveling over the water?"

"I don't know!" Carlos said hotly, but Jay knew it was mostly because he was frustrated at the unknown, at what he couldn't see.

Evie's sharp gaze settled on him, and Jay tried not to tense. "Can you see it?"

With Mal's intense gaze on him, with Carlos looking at him like he could paint the sky a different color, Jay shook his head. "I thought Evie was talking about the sea, too," he lied, giving a shrug for good measure.

Even though the way Mal narrowed her eyes made his gut twist, Jay felt a little better when he noticed Carlos smile triumphantly at the girls.

"Non-believers," Evie tsked, turning her attention back to the window with a wistful sigh.

Carlos snorted and went back to sorting through the sweets before them, every now and then tossing something in Jay's lap.

Mal kept her attention on Jay for a few seconds longer, and Jay tried his hardest to act normal as he inspected whatever Carlos gave him, and he breathed easier when she continued her inspection of the limo.

Back in the treehouse, back when Carlos broke through the barrier, Jay had thought Carlos was just being stubborn, that Carlos had felt that small bit of magic that had trickled through the small hole he created but was lying about it, but seeing Carlos react to the bridge... Jay never thought that there would be anything Carlos couldn't do, but it seemed, at least for the moment, that Carlos could not get in touch with anything magical.

It felt odd, inadvertently and unwillingly, excluding Carlos from something the group could see as clear as day, and Jay didn't like it. He promised to protect this group, and it was a promise that actually sought to keep, so much so that he concocted an entire arrangement around that promise, so Jay wasn't sure how to handle this new bit of information.

The girls are the ones who need to use magic, what with their mothers' heirlooms, so it shouldn't matter if I lie about it so Carlos won't feel excluded, he thought, throat closing at the thought of outright lying to Mal and Evie. And that besides, Jay wasn't too sure he _could_ do magic. Being able to see the gold dust bridge could just mean he _believed_ in it, and they all knew that Carlos, despite surviving Maleficent's blade, was never someone who believed.

At the memory of what happened at Maleficent's summons, at the memory of Carlos's pale face and bloody chest, Jay felt himself grow cold, and he stared wide-eyed as the limo neared landfall.

Jay shared a glance with Mal, and he knew she was thinking the same thing. Would they, would _Carlos_ , be okay once they fully leave the barrier, once they fully leave its protection from death? After all, Maleficent had stabbed Carlos' _heart_ , and though Evie had patched up the wound, they did nothing about patching up his _insides_.

Not only that, it occurred to Jay that he had no idea if the girls had suffered any serious internal damage in their sixteen years of life. Mal never spoke about any sustained injury, but most people avoided her to begin with, never picking any fights; he probably didn't have to worry about her. Evie, on the other hand, was a mystery. She didn't like to talk about herself much, not when it came to her health, so Jay wasn't sure.

As they neared land, as they came ever closer to leaving the barrier and all traces of its twisted form of magic behind, Jay hoped Carlos would be fine, hoped they all would be fine. He _willed_ it. If he held onto Carlos and Evie a little tighter, if he held eye contact with Mal, as they cleared the bridge, no one mentioned it.

The limo's tires made contact with land, and Jay held his breath, thinking, praying all the while, let them be all right let them be all right let them live please let them live.

The limo continued down the path, and all four of them remained fine.

Jay breathed in relief.

And then he sucked in a breath with alarm.

"Do you feel that?" Evie whispered, shivering slightly, and she pressed closer into Mal, a dreamy sigh escaping her lips.

Carlos looked at her, brow furrowed. "What?"

"Magic," Mal said quietly, a faraway look to her face, staring out into nothing.

Swallowing, Jay tried to keep a level head. This feeling was the same as the one in the treehouse that night Carlos broke through the barrier, and Jay had let it get the upper hand on him, let it control him, let it unleash in him all the things he tried so hard to keep caged. He wouldn't lose the fight again, not right now, not in such a confined space in a foreign land, not when he had just resolved to lie to the girls.

"Magic?" Carlos echoed, scrunching up his nose.

Mal blinked, settling her gaze on him, and she seemed colder than usual — and that was saying something. "Of course it's magic. We're in Auradon. How do you _not_ feel that? It's ten times stronger than in your treehouse!"

"I didn't feel anything in the treehouse," Carlos said as he grabbed another handful of sweets, a frown on his face.

"You're lying again," Evie said. "Carlos, I don't care if you're able to wield magic or not, you have to feel the difference in the air."

He shrugged. "It just feels warmer."

Mal scoffed, leaning back against the cushion. "Why won't you just admit it?" She narrowed her eyes, studying. "You can't be insisting magic isn't real when you're still _alive_ because of it."

Carlos winced, but he resolutely kept his eyes trained on the candy in his hands.

"Maybe," Evie began, a thoughtful expression on her face as she watched Carlos eat something chocolate covered, "maybe he doesn't want to admit he feels it? He's more of a science guy, after all."

"Magic can be a form of science," Mal argued, bored. "Don't see why he can't admit what's true."

"I'd appreciated it if you guys would stop talking like I'm not here," Carlos mumbled.

Jay watched them, feeling chilled to the bone despite how warm it was inside the limo. None of them seemed to be struggling with the feeling of magic all around them, struggling with the feeling of warmth and sunlight, none of them seemed as affected as they were in the treehouse, thinking bad thoughts and feeling even worse things within.

What was wrong with him? 

Mal's gaze flickered over to Jay, and he tried not to freeze. "Jay's not talking at all."

Pushing past his panic, Jay grinned, letting years of muscle memory take over to display a mask he wore so often. "It doesn't matter if Carlos feels it or not. Main thing is us being in Auradon." He shrugged as he gestured to the windows, anything to get their attention off of him. "Betting there's a few things that're different here."

His words not only sobered them up, but they provided the distraction he sought, the atmosphere in the limo a different kind of tension, and they all looked out the window, looked out and took in the sight of a castle getting closer and closer.

He hadn't answered Mal's unspoken question, but Jay knew how to lie, and lying was anything that wasn't one hundred percent true, including omissions.

Like always, Jay kept his mouth shut.

—

They pulled up to the main entrance of the castle, pulled up to a _band_ playing for their welcome, pulled up to people cheering and waving and smiling at the limo, and Jay shared a look with the others, wondering what kind of psychological torture these people were capable of and just how good they were at applying it.

"How do you want to do this, Mal?" he asked as he rolled his shoulders, loosening himself in case things went south, in case all of this was just an elaborate trap after all.

He watched as her eyes narrowed, as she studied the band, studied the people standing along the sidelines, her fingers tapping on the window in thought.

Time's running out, he thought to himself as the limo came to a stop, and he glanced at Carlos and Evie, saw the nervousness on their face.

"Let's test the waters," Mal said suddenly, eyes trained on the driver as he made his way to the door. "Carlos, play victim till I tell you to stop."

Evie let out a huff of amusement. "Believe in Carlos' acting ability that much?" she asked as she pulled out her mirror, giving herself an unneeded touch up.

"Why me," Carlos complained at the same time, quickly moving to the door, grabbing some type of cloth as he got into position.

Jay grinned as he gathered some of the electronic crap in his arm before he got close, as he quickly gave Carlos a kiss just to fluster him more, and readied himself for the moment the door opened.

They had pulled off several thieving jobs together as a foursome, messed around and caused a commotion so that one of them could steal while the attention was elsewhere. Jay — Mal, too, for that matter — had no trouble thieving by themselves, were skilled enough to get in and out without notice, but sometimes, oh, sometimes it was just too fun to let Evie and Carlos join in, let them take an active part in the deception. Evie usually dazzled the victim, stunned them with their own lust, leaving Jay or Mal plenty of opportunity to swipe a score, while Carlos made good at playing victim or bumbling fool, easily distracting those nearby.

It was a routine they knew well, and it figured Mal would want to see the reactions of these so-called do-gooders to someone they perceive as weak and innocent being tormented by someone bigger, scarier.

(None of them were stupid; they knew Carlos looked the most Good, could pull off being the cleanest of the group.

After all, Carlos had never cut someone bloody, never beat someone till they couldn't stand, never poured acid on anyone's flesh; being the youngest of the four helped as well.)

The door opened, and Jay _pushed_. He watched as Carlos made a fuss, watched as he curled in on himself, and Jay tried not to think about how much, this time, he _liked_ seeing Carlos like that, how much he liked having Carlos under his boot, tried to focus on the act — it's an act, Jay told himself, repeated it over and over, it's an _act_ — and it was only when Mal coughed that Jay blinked and looked up.

Out the corner of his eye, he saw Evie blink at him. As if she knew his thoughts.

Jay took in the way the band had backed away, frightened, took in the way the people on the sidelines, once all smiles and welcoming waves, now stared in shock and fear, took in the three individuals who had moved toward them from behind the band. One of them, a dainty woman in purple and a ridiculous pink bow, had thinly veiled disapproval in her expression, while the other two, a boy and a girl about their age, looked on with mixed expressions of their own, the girl's quiet disgust and the boy's...

Well, Jay wasn't entirely sure about the boy. And that was unsettling enough.

Grinning, thanking muscle memory for providing what he couldn't at the moment, not after getting so lost in an act he played countless times, Jay addressed the three. "Just having a bit of fun," he said as he all but yanked Carlos up, subtly checking to see if he had really hurt him.

Carlos just bounced back up, blinking wide at the three individuals before him, and from what Jay could see, was unaffected by the act. In fact, he looked more unnerved by them than he was by anything Jay did.

Jay couldn't really blame Carlos for that; the three of them were too clean, too bright. It unnerved him, too.

The woman cleared her throat, looking pointedly at the junk tucked under Jay's arm. "Leave it like you found it," she sing-songed with a smile, though it faded soon after as she added, "and by that, I mean just leave it."

As he tossed the junk back in the limo, Jay caught Mal's eye, saw the subtle nod she gave him, and he held back a smirk; at least he'd done well in her eyes. Focusing back on the three individuals in front of him, Jay noticed the glimmer.

Gold.

Why hadn't he seen it before?

(He didn't want to think about how blinding these people were, how they shine and shimmer more than any gold trinket ever could.)

But he noticed it now, and that urge welled up inside of him, the one that compelled him to steal what he could so he wouldn't face Jafar's full rage.

"Hel—lo, foxxy," Jay purred as he sauntered toward to the girl, letting his eyes roam up and down her body, letting his eyes settle on her own, gave her his _devil may care_ grin. "The name's Jay." His fingers twitched; he could just feel that gold in his hands.

The girl smiled, laughing as if she couldn't believe him or herself, and it looked like she was so close to giving in, so close to giving Jay what he wanted. But the woman stuck her head between them. Literally.

"Welcome to Auradon Prep!" the woman said cheerfully, effectively snapping the girl back to reality, and Jay suppressed his frown as he fell back in line. The woman smiled much brighter. "I'm Fairy Godmother, Headmistress." She even gave a little curtsy.

Jay had to hold in his surprise. _This_ is the Fairy Godmother, the one with the powerful wand that Maleficent wants so badly, he thought, puzzled. She looked nothing like what Jay had imagined, looked nothing like the stories Lady Tremaine ranted about.

" _The_ Fairy Godmother," Mal said, her surprise better concealed, "as in _Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo_?"

" _Bibbidi-Bobbidi_ -You know it," Fairy Godmother affirmed, smiling warmly at them, as did the boy behind her.

And really, he was starting to get on Jay's nerves. Anyone who smiled like that _had_ to have something up his sleeves; no one was that sincere, was that sweet and warm, to total strangers — especially strangers who were the offspring of your supposed enemies.

Thankfully, Mal took the reins in the conversation, addressing the Fairy Godmother once more. "Then the stories are true," she began, eyes wide as she played up the wonder, and if Jay didn't know better, he'd say she was sweet and innocent. "How you just appeared, out of nowhere, with a warm smile" — the Fairy Godmother practically cooed at Mal, and Jay tried not to smirk — "and a sparkling wand."

The way Mal finished, the way she blinked those deceptively doe eyes and wore that awed, hopeful expression, made Jay realize all over again what a specimen she was; she almost had him believing her, and by the glances at the others, he wasn't alone. Mal definitely had magic in her.

The Fairy Godmother, though, wasn't quite as taken with Mal's little deception, at least not fully, but she continued to smile that warm way of hers that already made Jay uneasy. "That was a long time ago, and as I always say, _don't focus on the past or you'll miss the future_ ," she said, doing little hand gestures for added effect.

She reminded him of his lecturers back in Dragon Hall, only a lot cleaner, warmer, and less prone to yelling.

A silence settled over them, and while Jay didn't mind it, he could tell the Auradonians were out of their element.

Which had the boy and girl step forward to address them, the boy — and Jay just couldn't put his finger on it, but something about him put Jay on edge, something more than his sickeningly sincere smile — smiling wide as he spoke. "It's so good to finally meet you all," he said, practically beaming as he shared eye contact with each of them, and Jay had to wonder at how he said _finally_. "I'm Ben—"

" _Prince_ Benjamin," the girl interjected, smiling wide, a little too excited and proud, "soon to be _king_."

A real bonafide prince, Jay thought, wondering if that was the reason he felt so on edge. The thought passed, though, as Evie took quick steps forward.

"You had me at prince," Evie said, a little breathy, and Jay shared an amused look with Carlos; Evie finally got to meet a real prince. She smiled coyly as she curtsied with all the regality that she was taught to possess. "My mother's a queen, which makes me a princess." She shared Ben's smile, which hadn't faltered despite Evie's close proximity.

"The Evil Queen has no royal status _here_ ," the girl said, fake smile so _fake_ it made Jay cringe, "and neither do you."

Evie's shoulders sagged, her smile fading, and she slowly returned to Carlos' side, her movements hesitant in a way they hadn't been since Maleficent's order.

Jay frowned, immediately and reluctantly stomping down the urge to go over to Evie and take her in his arms. He even reined in his glare at Audrey, wanting to take back the compliment he paid, even if he only meant it as a means to get her necklace; she didn't deserve any compliments, false or not, from him, not after she caused Evie to _look_ like that.

"And this is Audrey," Ben said, uncomfortable but trying to push through.

These Auradon kids have a lot to learn about acting, he thought, bored of them and still pissed at Audrey's comment. Though, he grudgingly had to admit that he'd notice how the only time Ben's smile faltered was when _Evie's_ did.

Jay might not fully trust anyone here, but that little action got Ben some points in his favor — even if his sincerity did put Jay on edge.

" _Princess_ Audrey, his girlfriend — Right, Benny-Boo?" Audrey smiled as she grabbed Ben's hand, looking at him expectantly, apparently not noticing the small traces of discomfort on Ben's features.

Jay tried not to raise his eyebrow. Girlfriend, she said, yet when he hit on her, Ben had been all smiles, and not the tight or fake smiles Jay was used to seeing in such situations. No, Ben had been smiling _genuinely_ as Jay called his girlfriend hot.

Either he doesn't care that I hit on her or he doesn't think she'd cheat; either way, it's too weird, Jay thought, brow creasing slightly as he eyed Ben critically. Where was the possessiveness, the jealousy? Everything about Ben was just throwing Jay off.

He gave a quick glance to Mal, saw the twitch to her hands, and he had to look away to hide his smirk; it looked like he wasn't the only one offended by Audrey's comment. The little pink princess would be lucky to survive their stay.

Fairy Godmother cleared her throat, taking Ben and Audrey's hands in her own. "Ben and Audrey are going to show you all around, and I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled, squeezing the pair's hands before she opened her arms, separating Ben and Audrey in the process. "The doors of wisdom are never shut! But the library hours are from 8:00 to 11:00, and as you may have heard, I have a little thing about curfews."

Jay, along with the others, gave a half-hearted chuckle, and Fairy Godmother turned on her heel and left, the band following her, and Jay found himself with no one to focus on except Ben and Audrey in front of him. He didn't like that, as Ben still unnerved him and Audrey left a sour taste in his mouth.

Ben took in a big breath as he clapped his hands. And then he smiled wide again.

He moved to Jay, movements sure and confident and not wary at all — Jay wasn't sure he liked that, either — and began speaking. "It is so, so, so good to finally me-meet you all." He blinked in surprise when Jay hit him as a greeting, but other than that, he wasn't fazed. In fact, he kept _smiling_.

What kind of freak is he, Jay thought as he watched Ben move to Mal, mildly surprised that Mal had accepted his hand. He tried not to react, though, when Ben's hand lingered on Mal's, at the way he stared instead of smiled, and though nothing in Ben's expression or bearing felt malicious in anyway, Jay didn't like it.

Ben snapped out of his little trance on his own, his smile back in place even though Mal took back her hand as if burned. "This is a momentous occasion," he continued, moving onto Carlos, taking his hand, and Jay told himself to keep calm, "and one that I hope will go down in history — Is that chocolate?" Ben asked, chuckling slightly as he _licked_ his fingers, and Jay really wanted to take Ben somewhere and knock some sense into him, keeping his face blank as Ben finally stopped in front of Evie; he took Evie's hand, his smile widening as Evie smiled up at him, and he finished his little speech. "As the day our two peoples began to heal."

"Or the day that you showed four peoples to their rooms," Mal interjected, and Jay could tell it took everything for her to be civil, not that he could blame her; she was probably as fed up with this weird ass dude as Jay was.

But when he looked closely at her, when he studied, Jay noticed that Mal was _tense_ , and that caused Jay to go into alert mode.

Ben once again didn't seem fazed by them. In fact, he seemed perfectly comfortable standing close, letting Evie get closer than was necessary, and it was Audrey that had to pull him away.

At least jealousy _does_ exist here, Jay thought as he watched Audrey give a less than subtle glare at Evie.

Ben, either unaware or unbothered by the interaction, focused on Mal. "A little bit over the top?" he asked, his small smile turning sheepish.

"Probably more than a little bit," Mal said, shoulders still tense despite the upward quirk of her lips.

"Well," Ben started, not offended at all, "so much for my first impression." He chuckled, mostly at himself, and Jay had to restrain himself from shouting.

How was this guy even real?

He lingered too long in front of Mal again, and Audrey stepped forward. "Hey! You're Maleficent's daughter, aren't you?" she asked Mal, her smile too wide, too forced, and Jay felt unease creep in his gut. "Yeah, you know what? I totally do not blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff." She looked at them all, and Jay definitely did not like her. "Oh, my mom's Aurora, Sleeping—"

"Beauty," Mal cut in, the tension in her shoulders leaving her now that she had something to focus it on. "Yeah, I've heard the name."

Oh shit, Jay thought, not missing the way Evie stiffened or the way Carlos swallowed and glanced at him. That tone of voice usually meant blood, and Jay wondered if he'd have to step in to stop whatever damage Mal wanted to deal.

Instead, Mal simply smiled, the sweet expression at odds with the fire in her eyes. "You know, that probably wouldn't have happened if your grandparents hadn't invited everyone in the whole world but my mother to their stupid christening." Mal smiled sweeter, staring Audrey down. "But we can't change that, can we?"

Audrey looked anything but happy as she smiled for Mal. "Water under the bridge?"

"Of course," Mal answered, and she laughed along with Audrey, the fakeness almost grating.

"Okay!" Ben said, proving to Jay that he had no sense whatever. "So, how about a tour? Yeah?" He waited for Mal to give the okay, and then he turned, pointing to the building before them. "Auradon Prep, originally built over three hundred years ago and converted into a high school by my father when he became king."

Mal glanced at him, and everything about her screamed that she was already done with the place, and Jay couldn't help but grin; he knew how she felt, especially since Ben's smiling had gotten under his skin so quickly.

Evie and Carlos seemed more or less unfazed, with Evie more on the excited side of things, a bounce in her step as Jay waved her after Mal. Carlos gave him a flat look, unamused at playing victim, but he seemed unimpressed otherwise.

Ben stopped them in front of a statue of his father, somehow under the impression that they wanted to see the face of the man who had placed them all on the island, the face that they saw peppered on stupid propaganda telling them to repent and be good, a face that made Jay's insides _churn_. With a smile, Ben clapped his hands.

Jay felt the air tighten with magic before the statue shifted into that of a beast, and Jay wasn't sure how much of Carlos' fear was faked and how much was genuine as he _jumped_ into Jay's arms, a scream leaving his mouth.

"Carlos," Ben called, and Jay held onto Carlos a little tighter because _how did Ben know their names_ , "it's okay. My father wanted his statue to morph from beast to man to remind us that anything is possible."

"Does he shed much," Mal muttered, unimpressed with the transformation.

"Yeah, mom won't let him on the couch," Ben answered, face serious for a split second before breaking out into a smile, turning around and continuing his little history lesson as he walked toward the doors.

Mal, whose eyebrow had risen somewhat impressed, turned to check on Carlos, Evie following suit, and Carlos merely chuckled nervously as Jay let him hop back down.

"What was that?" Jay asked quietly as they trailed a few steps behind.

Carlos shrugged as another nervous chuckle escaped. "Wasn't really expecting that," he mumbled, embarrassed.

While he just shrugged the moment off, Jay felt his stomach tighten. Then Carlos really can't feel magic, he thought, almost sullenly. It had been impossible to miss, the swirl and pull of magic before the statue morphed, so if Carlos hadn't been expecting it, then he really wasn't tuned into the magical flow of Auradon.

Jay didn't know why that made him feel so uneasy.

The inside of the castle was finer than anything Jay could have imagined, everything looking new and untouched despite when the place was built, and the people inside were no different: bright faces lit by the sunlight, smiling and laughing like they knew nothing of horrors of the world, clothes too neat and clean. Jay felt sick all over again.

Not even the glimmer of a gold vase could distract him, especially since Carlos tapped his shoulder in reminder that they couldn't show their true colors just yet.

"So," Mal started when Ben came to a stop, and Jay could tell from her tone that she was just as much put off by the place as he was, "you guys have a lot of magic here in auradon?" She smiled sweetly. "Like wands and things like that?"

Though Audrey narrowed her eyes at the question, Ben only smiled, giving a little nod. "Yeah, it exists of course, but it's pretty much retired." He seemed apologetic, like he thought that maybe they wouldn't like it here simply because magic wasn't the regular and not all the other reasons they had to dislike Auradon. "Most of us here are just ordinary mortals." And he rose his shoulders a little, could barely be called a shrug, as if he was apologizing for that, too, that he couldn't be someone better.

Mal nearly snorted, but she caught herself. "Who happen to be kings and queens," she said, as if it needed to be said.

And maybe it did, since Ben was a straight up freak.

Audrey smiled brightly at the mention of royalty. "That's true. Our royal blood goes back hundreds of years." Her smile stretched a little too wide as she pulled Ben's arm over her shoulders, her head tilting with more than a hint of smugness, her eyes flickering over both Mal and Evie.

Jay held back his disgust, told himself to keep calm, told himself that the girls could definitely take Audrey on by themselves.

Ben, at least, looked fairly uncomfortable. Finally. He cleared his throat and called, "Doug!" Removing his arm from Audrey — and Jay took satisfaction in how the action offended her — Ben gestured for Doug to join them. "Doug, come down."

Jay watched at one of the band members, too lanky and weak looking to be in anything else, descended the stairs with a clipboard, smiling good-naturedly at Ben as he stood by his side.

"This is Doug," Ben said, unnecessarily, as he placed his arm around Doug's shoulders, and they both smiled liked idiots, smiled as if such blatant contact wasn't strange at all. "He's going to help you with your class schedules and show you the rest of the dorms." Nodding a little, Ben stepped away from Doug with a small pat on his back. "I'll see you later, okay?" He looked at each of them, too much conviction in such a small promise, and Ben smiled, his gaze lingering on Mal. "And if there is anything you need, feel free to—"

"Ask Doug," Audrey cut in, giving another little _look_ to both Evie and Mal.

Jay really, really didn't like it here, didn't like the way Audrey looked at Mal and Evie, especially Evie, as if they were beneath her, as if they weren't worth her time let alone her presence, and the only thing that kept him rooted to his spot, other than the fact that they couldn't afford to blow this task because of their stupid emotions, was the fact that Ben, the good prince who had always smiled sincerely up until then, seemed worried and uncomfortable by his so-called girlfriend's actions; Ben even sent a concerned glance their way as Audrey physically lead him to the doors.

Seriously, what's up with him, Jay thought, the fact that Ben was already spending too much time in his thoughts annoying. And more than a little worrying.

Doug cleared his throat. "Hi, guys!" His voice broke a little, giving away his nervousness despite the welcoming front he put up. "So, I'm Dopey's son."

They blinked at him, and Jay glanced at Evie, wondering how they were going to get on, seeing as this kid's parent had a hand in her mother's death.

Doug cleared his throat again. "You know, as in Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, and..." His words trailed as he finally looked them in the eyes, and when his gaze fell on Evie, Jay could clearly see everything else disappear from his line of vision. "Heigh-ho..."

Smiling, Evie moved slowly toward him, a little number that made lesser men _lesser_. "Evie, Evil Queen's daughter," she greeted, giving him that slow flutter of her lashes that Jay had always rolled his eyes at; sometimes, he was ashamed at his gender for falling prey so easily.

And it looked like Doug would be no exception as he practically melted right then and there, but, surprisingly, he visibly shook his head to clear his thoughts, which earned him at least a little respect from Jay. "Okay," he said as he cleared his throat yet again, "so about your classes, I, uh, put in the requirements already, such as history of woodsmen and pirates, safety rules for the internet, and, uh, remedial goodness 101..." Doug glanced at them when his voice cracked with nervousness again, especially since Mal had gotten too close in order to inspect the schedule herself.

Mal huffed in amusement. "Let me guess," she said, trying to hide her amusement at the way Doug's eyes couldn't help but fall back to Evie. "New class?" She smirked when Doug gave a little nod. "Come on, guys, let's go find our dorms."

Anything to get away from all this, Jay thought as he followed Mal up the stairs, knowing that she had no idea where she was going, but it was better than just standing around like a sitting duck waiting for whatever other games Auradonians played.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Doug called, blinking out of the stupor that was Evie's enchantment, "your dorms are this way, guys." Smiling, he motioned for them to follow him.

"Fantastic," Jay muttered as he followed Mal, and Carlos gave him a quick tap to his shoulder, trying to hide his grin, the two of them once again falling a few steps behind the girls as Doug took them through long hallways.

"So," Doug began as he slipped several papers from his clipboard, passing them out. "This is the campus map. It can get a little overwhelming sometimes, but I think you guys can handle it! Right now, we're located in the main dormitory. It's usually reserved for freshmen and seniors, but you four were the exception as it'll be your first semester here. Feel free to ask your seniors for guidance, that's why the set up is like that, after all. Next semester, you can move into the junior dormitories, which is the hall to the left of here; the sophomore dormitories is the hall to the right.

"Each hall has common rooms and kitchens for anyone's use. Only rule is to clean up after yourself and be considerate to your fellow students. There's almost always two students to a room, and while you are allotted one room change each year, it's encouraged that you work out any grievances with your roommate. Each floor has a community bathroom, but after several petitions, the dormitories have been renovated so that each dorm room has their own bathroom, should some people wish to have more privacy."

"A well of information, this one," Carlos muttered to Jay as he studied the map in his hands, and Jay smirked.

"Most importantly, the cafeteria is almost always open for your cravings of assorted snacks and desserts, but the meal hours are pretty much set. Breakfast from five to nine-thirty, brunch from nine-thirty to noon, lunch from noon to two. Dinner is served from six to nine, but, like I said, you can always go there if you ever feel like you want just one more thing. I recommend stopping by at different times on different days because they'll always have different items on the menu."

"And you can just... go there and get whatever you want?" Jay asked as he shared a disbelieving glance with Carlos, the both of them wary of the concept. Food that was plentiful and always available seemed like a lie to Jay.

Doug actually stopped walking, turning around to face them, blinking. "Of course," he said, brow slightly furrowed. "Meals, as well as snacks, are included in tuition."

"We made no such payment," Mal said flatly, suspicious as well.

Head tilted to the side, Doug blinked at them again. "Well, of course not. You guys are here at the behest of Prince Ben, so he's taken responsibility for you."

Evie hummed in surprise. "Excuse me?" She glanced at them, glanced at _Mal_ , who had gone rigid.

At the sound of Evie's voice, Doug swallowed, but he paled instead of flushing with desire, and he stared at them with wide eyes. "Please don't tell Ben I told you he's vouched for you guys."

"Wait a minute," Jay said, unease returning to his gut, " what do you mean _vouched_ for us?"

Doug looked considerably more nervous, fidgeting with his clipboard as he swallowed. "Well, it _was_ his proclamation that brought you here."

" _His_?" Carlos asked, confused.

"You mean, you didn't know?" Doug asked, incredulous and nervous. "I mean, someone should have read it to you..."

"No one read shit," Mal said lowly, and she was no longer playing at nice and sweet. The expression she wore was one Jay saw many times, times when someone dared challenge her in school or in the bazaar, times when blood was drawn.

"What Mal means to say," Evie cut in, simultaneously capturing Doug's attention so he didn't get too freaked out and reminding Mal to keep calm, "is that the only thing we've heard is that it was decreed for us to come to school here." She smiled, sweetly apologetic. "And we won't tell Prince Ben if you don't tell him we were so grossly uninformed."

Evie's magic did the trick: Doug relaxed.

"I wouldn't say grossly uninformed!" he said quickly, attention only Evie.

So Jay crept close to Mal, nudging her a little. "What's wrong?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper as Doug went on and on about how it wasn't their fault the news wasn't properly delivered.

Jaw flexing, Mal just shook her head. "We'll talk when we're alone," she said, just a quiet, as she glanced at Doug. "For now, let's just get this stupid tour over with."

Nodding, Jay moved back next to Carlos, placing his hand on the small of Carlos' back to ease the questioning glance sent his way, and spoke loudly. "So, loverboy, what about our rooms?"

Snapping out of his Evie induced trance, Doug coughed in embarrassment and gestured down the hall. "Well, it alternates floors. I mean, uh, that is, the ground floor houses boys, the next floor houses girls, and so on." He coughed again, cheeks a little red. "So, um, Jay and Carlos, your dorm is on the ground floor. We could stop there first, and then I could take Mal and Evie over to their dorm."

When Mal only narrowed her eyes, Evie took a small step forward. "You can just tell us where to go."

"Oh, okay. Well, up the stairs, to your left, four doors down. Number 225."

"Thanks, be seeing you!"

"Oh wait!" Doug called, blinking back into his senses. "Before you go, I just want to mention a few more things." He held up his hand, counting on his fingers. "You're not expected in class until tomorrow, so please use today to get accustomed to the campus and your schedules. Dormitory curfew begins at midnight, so make sure you're back in your dorms by then. You can't have members of the opposite sex in your room after ten. There's—"

"Why?" Carlos asked, cutting into Doug's train of thought.

"Beg your pardon?" Doug asked, brow furrowed a little at the interruption.

"Why can't the opposite sex be in the room after ten?" Carlos asked, blinking at Doug.

Doug blinked back at him. "So no shenanigans have a chance at happening," he answered, giving Carlos a funny look, like the answer was the most obvious in the world.

"Okay..." Carlos said, uncomfortable with Doug's stare. When Doug turned to Evie and Mal again, Carlos mouthed _shenanigans_ at Jay, puzzled.

Jay only shrugged. Who knew what the guy meant.

Clearing his throat again, Doug continued. "There's a strict tardy policy. Unless you have a good excuse, most teachers won't let it slide. Absences are not encouraged. If you're sick, it's understandable, but make sure you head over to the nurse's station so you can get a note excusing you."

Jay glanced at Carlos, then at Mal. He didn't think he would make it a week here if no one was allowed to arrive late or to miss a class.

"Let's see, what else?" Doug asked himself, actually concentrating on any possible information he was omitting instead of staring at Evie. He blinked, though, when he remembered they all were waiting on him. "Well, you'll find the student handbook in your rooms, so you can look it over for yourselves. If you have any questions, you can come ask me. I'm in room 307 in the junior dormitories." He smiled, giving a little wave to the girls. "We'll head over to your room once I bring Jay and Carlos to theirs. Then we can tour the campus."

Jay could see the strain it took for Mal not to roll her eyes.

Evie smiled, even fluttered her lashes for shits and giggles. "Looking forward to it." With that, they ventured forth toward the stairs, off to find their Auradonian dwellings.

Jay would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous about letting them go on their own, but he knew they could handle themselves if anything happened.

Doug turned to them, smile a little smaller but still friendly. "So, your room is this way." Doug led them away from the stairs.

Carlos still had his focus on the map, glancing up every now and then to take in the decor of the hallways, tensing every time another person came near them, and he walked a little closer to Jay than he normally would have, especially since Carlos had really been coming into his own stride and confidence the last couple of months.

"Why are the doors open?" Jay asked, trying to distract the uneasy feeling in his gut.

"Oh, it's common practice to leave your door open when you're in your room, that way people know that it's okay to drop on in if they want to talk or hang out. Closed doors usually mean study time or nap time or something. Though, a lot of people head over to library to study, or hang out on the quads or somewhere else, but everyone has a different preference."

Jay shared a glance at Carlos, and he couldn't help but make a face. Half the shit this guy says doesn't make any sense, Jay thought, taking note of which rooms looked more interesting; he'd have to remember who dwelled in them, to remember who to study so he could pick their pockets easier.

So far, the layout of the building wasn't too complicated, and there were plenty of ways to make a quick getaway should it be required. He definitely didn't like the idea of a curfew, though, but more than that, he figured he'd hate the stupid opposite sex rule the most.

"Here we are!" Doug announced suddenly, gesturing to a room labeled 131.

Jay and Carlos stepped inside with caution, eyes sweeping the entire room, and Jay felt his throat close as his gaze fell on two beds, one for each of them apparently, and he had to force himself to swallow.

A bed all his own. 

Never in his life did he have that. He never even had a pathetic mattress like Carlos had, instead sleeping on a worn rug underneath a bunch of junk that could have crushed him at any moment (and that he sometimes wished would).

The beds in this room, though, looked nothing like the ones he'd seen in Carlos' and Evie's room, looked both inviting and threatening, and a part of him didn't want to go near it, didn't want to compare the softness to Evie's, the quality to Carlos'.

It was only Doug's lame attempt at subtly moving past them — they were still standing mostly in the doorway, after all — that brought Jay out of his trance, and he watched as Doug effortlessly walked to one of the beds and picked up a book.

"This is the student handbook," Doug began, showing it off like it was a prize instead of some crummy book that would just put more stupid rules on them. "Page through it whenever you get the chance. It's got some great tips." He placed it back on the bed he took it from, picking up something else. "This is the course catalog. It'll tell you all about each course offered here at Auradon Prep, as well as when they're offered. You can page through this as well, but I guess I should tell you that most of your classes have been already assigned for you this semester."

"Why couldn't we pick them?" Carlos asked, voice a little hoarse. His eyes hadn't left the beds either.

"Well, most of the classes are requirements that should have been taken freshman year, so it's just to catch you up. Most of your credits from, uh, from your previous school have been transferred over and converted into the most appropriate course offered here, so you don't have to worry about falling behind."

"So Carlos is still in our grade?" Jay couldn't help but ask. Because he didn't know what he'd do if it turned out that Carlos couldn't take the same classes as any of them.

Doug nodded, smiling wide. "Yeah, definitely. In fact, I think, if he wanted to, he could take some advanced courses next semester." His smile faded slightly as he blinked, clearing his throat a little sheepishly. "It just, uh, depends on how well you do this semester, I think."

Translation: depends on how badly we fuck up this semester, Jay thought, remaining expressionless. Besides, what's the point of even learning and concerning ourselves with all this shit anyway; we won't be here next semester, he thought, sullen and sober.

"Any questions about your room?" Doug asked them, looking at them expectantly. "If not, we can head over to Mal and Evie's room and begin the campus tour."

Jay shrugged. He had more than enough questions about this place, but none of them could be answered by Doug; besides, it wasn't like Jay wanted to voice all his uncertainties, didn't want to appear weak in anyway to an Auradonian, so he left Doug's question to Carlos.

Carlos could afford appearing weak. It would probably be beneficial to Mal's overall plan, anyway.

But Carlos shook his head as well, remaining silent as he made himself small, giving off the weak and pathetic vibe anyway. Despite his insistence that he wasn't a people person, Carlos knew how to play the game rather well.

Nodding, Doug clapped his hands. "Okay then, let's head over to the girl's room." With that, he walked toward the door, not bothering to stop to make sure they were following him.

Not that Jay wasn't going to follow him. After all, he wanted to know where they put the girls, and he definitely wanted to know what had Mal on edge earlier. So Jay followed Doug, letting Carlos walk a step or two before him, keeping on alert as they ascended the stairs.

The second floor was nearly identical to the first, the same walls adorned with similar paintings and a suit of armor standing vigil here and there, and the same open door policy was practiced here as well. The only difference was the interior of the rooms, each loudly broadcasting the (mostly pink) princess vibe.

Bet Mal's loving that, Jay thought with a grin as they came upon the room labeled 225. Predictably, the door was shut.

Doug raised his hand, fist poised to knock, but he hesitated, brow creasing slightly.

"Problem?" Jay asked as he moved past Doug, opening the door without knocking and stepping into the room despite Doug's protests. Jay took one look around and noted the atmosphere immediately.

Mal stood by one of the beds, Evie standing by the other, and she looked annoyed. Though, Jay was relieved to note, Mal's shoulders weren't as tight with tension.

"Why are we scheduled for eight classes?" Mal asked instead of greeting them, her intense focus on Doug.

Whoa, what, Jay thought with alarm. He could barely make it through seven classes a day, so he knew he wouldn't last with eight. Evie and Carlos might like that, but he and Mal would go insane.

"That's because the school's on an A/B Block Schedule," Doug informed them as he finally stepped into the room, sticking close to Carlos. "Four classes to a block, and one block on alternating days."

"So it's only four classes a day?" Jay asked, relieved. Four he could do. Four was practically a blink of an eye.

"Yep. Not including clubs and extracurriculars, of course."

Whatever the fuck that means, Jay thought, uninterested.

Evie stepped forward, allowing Carlos to sneak away from Doug's side. "Are we going on a tour now?" she asked sweetly, twirling a lock of her hair.

Mal, despite her annoyance, shared an amused smirk with Jay, and he tried to his amusement in check as he noticed Carlos roll his eyes. Evie always did like to play with her food.

Sure enough, Doug swallowed. "Of course! Ben entrusted your tour to me, after all." He gave them a little bow, letting the girls leave the room first. 

"Don't want to disobey a prince?" Mal ventured as she walked right past him, Evie on her heels.

Doug actually chuckled a little as he took his position at the front of the group, clipboard under his arm. "There's plenty of royals you don't want to offend because they may or may not make a fuss, but Ben is different. With Ben, you don't want to offend him because of who he is as a person." He glanced over his shoulder, speaking in a hushed tone. "Once you met some of the royalty, you'll know what I mean."

Eyebrow raised, Jay looked at Mal, trying to judge her reaction to that tidbit of information. He didn't think an Auradonian would talk smack about one of their own, but then again, Doug wasn't exactly royalty.

If what Jay recalled from his father's lectures were true, Doug's father and "uncles" were only promoted to lordship at the behest of Snow White, each of the seven Dwarves now holding the title of count. He could see how the royals, whose blood went back "hundreds of years," would treat someone of Doug's ilk.

Hierarchies were, after all, something that predated the whole Good and Evil thing.

From what he could tell, Mal and Evie understood the implication of Doug's words, but Carlos looked like he didn't care — and he probably didn't; Carlos usually didn't care enough about people to learn things about them, usually letting one of them lead or instruct him whenever they teamed up for a deception.

It was a fact Jay found hilarious, considering how well Carlos could disarm someone when he put effort into it.

Doug chattered on, leading them across the campus, explaining the best times for picnics or when to avoid sidewalk traffic or other stupid crap that Jay had no use for. Jay only kept one eye on the things Doug was pointing at, only half listening to him drone on, as his attention roamed over the people he saw, more interested in them and what they had on them.

Bunch of rich brats, nearly all of them, pockets ripe for the picking, and across the way was a lovely redhead with a stunning bracelet, the jewelry catching the sunlight just perfectly, and Jay _wanted_ , so much so that his fingers twitched.

Then, something happened that Jay didn't expect.

Just as sure as he saw the stunning bracelet, it was gone, nowhere in sight. Confused, Jay blinked, dread building as he felt something weigh his hand down, as he felt the remnants of _something_ in the air, and when Jay glanced down to inspect his hand, he found the bracelet tucked away in his fist.

Alarmed, Jay snapped his head back up, his eyes shifting back and forth in an effort to see if anyone had noticed, but, no, no one had — not Doug, not Mal or Evie or Carlos, and certainly not the girl it came from. Swallowing, Jay slipped the bracelet in his pocket, heart pounding.

Not because of the theft. He'd been stealing since he could walk, since he figured out that was the only way to get Jafar to look at him, since he figured out that bringing home quality scores would result in not-so-rough birthday presents, so Jay would never be bothered by his tendency for sticky hands.

No, his heart raced because what he feared was true: he was able to use magic. He felt so sick, felt too hot in this too warm and too bright land.

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked, just a whisper, brow creased.

If Jay hadn't had years of training on the streets and alleyways of the island, he would have jumped at Carlos' abrupt question, but as it was, Jay only shrugged. "I'm bored. He talks too much," he said, hoping his answer would suffice.

It did its trick: Carlos snorted. "Blame Evie. I think he's trying to impress her."

"I'll give him points for not drooling all over himself," Jay said, let muscle memory grin for him because he couldn't do it on his own, couldn't even try it, and he was glad that Carlos went back to studying the campus, eying the tech in the student's' hands.

Telling himself to calm down, Jay focused on control, a habit he'd been practicing all his life, and he kept his wits about him. He refused to trip up again.

—

Their tour ended by the cafeteria with Doug asking them if they wanted to get a bite to eat before going off to explore the campus as they saw fit before curfew, and as much as he wanted the others to eat something, Jay was wary that the placed wasn't rigged, that the food wasn't poisoned.

"Well, hello there," came a call, and Jay stiffened as he turned to see who was approaching them. Ben smiled as he neared, clasping Doug on the shoulder as he surveyed their group. "How was the tour? Everything okay?"

"The tour was fine!" Doug said, a little too eagerly, and he glanced between Ben and them, nervous, no doubt wondering if they would spill the beans about his accidental admission.

As much as Jay wanted to cause a little mischief, just for the sake of being around and doing something familiar, he refrained, especially since everything about Mal screamed tension.

"Campus is bigger than I thought it'd be," Jay offered, seeing as Mal didn't want to speak, Evie was too preoccupied with staring at Ben with her Dreamy Gaze, and Carlos. Well, Carlos never spoke to new people or, really, people in general.

At his comment, Ben nodded, apologetic. "Yeah, it might take some getting used to, but you can always ask Doug or me if you ever need any help." He looked at Doug for confirmation, smiling when Doug nodded. Then, Ben turned back to Jay, back to them. "So, how about we get something to eat?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Jay saw Mal tense even more, and so he shook his head. "Think we'll pass. Besides, might not be entirely welcomed." And that was truth enough, given how people kept their distance throughout their little tour.

Brow creasing, Ben took a step forward, leaving Doug's side to focus entirely on Jay and the others. "It's just first day jitters. It'll get better," he promised, like it was something he could control, and offered them a small smile. "And I don't want you to feel like you have to skip meals. The cafeteria is yours to use just like everyone else."

"Better safe than sorry, right?" Jay grinned, feeling anything but amused as his gut twisted at Ben's words, at his concerned expression. "We'll come back during the slow hours, which we know all about thanks to Doug and his tour," Jay added, just to appease them enough to let them _leave_.

Bright smile returning, Ben clapped Doug on the shoulder, causing Doug to puff out his chest some in pride. "I knew letting Doug give you the tour would be a good idea. If you have further questions or concerns, my room is on the top floor of the junior dormitory." He stepped a little closer, either unable to read the mood or unconcerned with it. "We'll let you go to your rooms. It must have been a little tiring for you."

"More than you know," Jay said, giving him a slight punch to the shoulder, a little satisfied with Ben's surprise. Good, be warned next time you step too close, Jay thought as he turned around, subtly ushering the others away.

Mal and Carlos didn't need to be told twice, and it only took a little nudging from Evie to get her to move, and then they were all on their way back to the dormitory.

"Your room or ours?" Jay asked once they were a good distance away from the cafeteria.

"We're splitting up again," Mal said, her eyes scanning the area, keeping Evie close. "I have to give our room a thorough inspection. Do the same. We'll meet you back in your room." She twitched, like she was going to lean over for a kiss but thought better of it.

Breathing deeply, Jay nodded, forcing himself not to watch the girls as they left his and Carlos' side. They'll be okay, he told himself, focusing on Carlos. "Think they bugged our room?" he asked quietly.

Carlos made a face. "No idea. I can found out, though."

The minute the got back to their room, Jay shut the door and began helping Carlos search the place. He didn't know why he hadn't thought to check the area, figured he must have been too preoccupied with the beds, figured that's why they were given to him, to distract him. Well, now he knew better, and he turned over everything in his search for any surveillance.

"I can check this out," Carlos said, inspecting the big tv screen and the little black box next to it, fiddling with their inner workings already. "I mean, found nothing else interesting, so..." He let his voice trail, casting a meaningful look Jay way.

"Yeah, me neither," he replied, his search fruitless. Leaving whatever the black box was to Carlos, Jay moved to the beds, approaching them perhaps a little more cautious than necessary. He glanced at the door, noting that the head of the bed was facing it, giving him a clear sight in case anyone tried to sneak in.

Jay cleared his throat, glancing at Carlos as Carlos tinkered with the contraption, and he pointed to the beds, raising his eyebrow, silently asking which one he preferred. At Carlos' shrug, Jay chose the one on the right and started emptying his pockets. He swiped a lot of good scores, considering no one wanted to be near them, and he proudly noted that only two items were acquired with the help of magic: the bracelet and a laptop for Carlos.

Well, one of the laptops, the first one he stole. He hadn't thought much about it, other than noticing how Carlos' gaze kept traveling to the machines each time they passed someone with one, and the next thing he knew, the air was tightening as the magic acted. It was only his skill and his speed that kept him from getting busted as he stashed the item away.

He stole the second laptop merely to prove to himself that he could do it without the use of magic.

"Here," he said as he placed the first laptop on the only table in the room, motioning for Carlos to have at it.

"How'd you get this?" Carlos said, sounding awed, as he immediately opened it and began fiddling.

"Sticky hands," was all Jay said. Not that it really mattered, as Carlos was now too preoccupied with his new toy to press the issue further.

He returned to his other scores, spread out on the bed he claimed as his own, and continued to empty his pockets, wondering if the girls would like anything from the pile. Maybe he'd give Evie the stunning bracelet, as a way to cheer her up and take her mind off of Audrey's comments. He had no idea what Mal would like from the pile, but he was willing to give her anything she might take an interest in, no trade needed.

As long as he kept most of the things for Jafar. A part of Jay wondered, if he stole bigger, better things, if his scores would be enough to appease Jafar's rage, if it would be enough to redirect his attention from Mal and the others.

A hum pulled him from his musings, and Jay turned to find Carlos already typing away, as if he were used to using the contraption all his life. It never failed to impress Jay. "Find anything good?" he asked, amused as he watched Carlos concentrate on the screen,

"Hm? Oh, the security on this thing was a joke," Carlos informed him, eyes not once leaving his new toy. "And it doesn't seem to have anything to track it anywhere, but I'm gonna keep checking, just in case. Wouldn't want you to get busted, right?"

"Me?" Jay echoed with a smirk. "You're the one using it, so you'll take the fall."

"All the more reason to double check," Carlos said, glancing briefly at Jay, just shy from sticking his tongue out.

Jay laughed. At least someone's having fun, he thought, something like fondness creeping on him.

He wanted to ask whose laptop it was, whether they were hot or not, but refrained. If he asked, Carlos would want to know why he didn't know himself, and then Jay would have to explain about using magic. Or he'd have to lie. And he didn't want to lie to Carlos any more than he had to, especially since he was already lying to the girls.

The door opened, and Jay braced himself, ready for a fight, only to relax once he saw Mal and Evie enter the room. Evie closed the door behind them, looking around the room, impressed.

"Find anything interesting?" Jay asked the girls, and he was relieved when both of them shook their heads.

"How about you, boys?" Evie asked as she settled at the table, glancing around the room again.

"Everything's clean," Carlos said, still nose deep into the black box, and at his words, Mal visibly relaxed.

"Jay," Mal said, raising her eyebrow, "What are you fooling with?"

"Scores," Jay answered, tossing her a phone type thing. He assumed, anyway, considering he saw people talking into the same type of devices all around the campus, not to mention the fact that Doug kept mentioning things like phones and laptops in his gesturing. Jay might be dumb, but he wasn't completely stupid; he could put two and two together.

Mal caught it with ease, blinking as it lit up, emitting a little chime. " _Can't wait for the HB! Too bad Aziz won't be here,_ " she read, frowning. "The hell's HB? And who the hell is Aziz?"

Jay shrugged. "Don't know, ask the person I lifted it from."

"Oh, gimme that," Carlos said, gesturing for the phone.

"Don't you have a toy already?" Jay asked, amused.

This time, Carlos did stick out his tongue. "I wanna make sure it can't be traced." He caught the phone when Mal tossed it and immediately began fiddling with it. "This is amazing," he murmured, most likely to himself, as he poked at the screen.

"What's amazing about it?" Evie asked as she got her mirror, giving herself an unneeded touch up.

"The level of tech here, and the quality! I've only scratched the surface, but the systems they use for the school..." He let his voice trail, obviously more interested in the tech in his hands than answering their questions.

Mal snorted, and she turned her attention back on Jay. "You stole all this just today?" she asked as she surveyed his bed.

Jay shrugged, a little uneasy with how her eyes kept traveling to the stunning bracelet. "Yeah. I was bored. The Dwarf spawn talked too much."

"Two laptops and a phone, not to mention expensive jewelry," Mal said, pursing her lips. "Not exactly low profile."

"What's going on, Mal?" Jay asked, not even bothering to play her game and beat around the bush. "You've been pissy since we split. Since you found out the good prince was the one who brought us here."

Evie cast him a stern look, confirming to Jay that they did talk about it when they went to check out their room by themselves.

Mal didn't say anything for a few seconds, didn't even look at them. "I saw him." She glanced up, intense, wild gaze falling on Jay. "I saw him when we were on the island."

Jay stared. "What do you mean?"

"I saw him!" Mal said again, temper flaring. "I had _visions_ , I guess."

" _Visions_?" Jay echoed, blinking. "As in more than once?"

"Yeah," Mal breathed out, frowning something fierce. "The first was during the night of Maleficent's order." Her frown deepened. "After that, it was here and there at random moments."

"That's impossible," Carlos said quietly, his new toys momentarily forgotten.

"Say magic is impossible one more time," Mal warned, eyes flashing.

Carlos swallowed, shaking his head quickly. "No, no! I meant, wouldn't it have been impossible for you to have visions under the barrier?"

Hearing his words, his reasoning, Mal's temper simmered out. "I thought so, too. Which is why I brushed it off as dreaming about a face I'd seen for a second in the bazaar. But then we came here."

"And we met Ben," Evie finished, face sober as she placed her mirror on the table.

Silence rang out in the room, and Jay sighed. "Okay. But what does this mean?"

"That's the issue, isn't it," Mal muttered. "Whatever it is, it can't bode well. We have to get that wand and _leave_. This place is already giving me a headache." She rubbed her temples, and Jay was glad someone else was having issues with this place. "Evie, time to use that mirror of yours."

Swallowing, Evie nodded as she held up her mirror with reverence, thinking for a moment as they all huddled over her. Then, she placed it back on the table.

"What are you doing?" Jay asked her, puzzled.

Evie shrugged. "If I remember correctly, requests are always done in rhyme, so this is easier. Watch." She cleared her throat. "Magic mirror on the table, locate Fairy Godmother's wand as quick as able." She winced a little, insecure for a moment, but then the mirror's face swirled to reveal the wand, floating midair in some type of hall.

"Not bad," Mal murmured, eyes half-lidded in thought.

"Can it zoom out?" Carlos asked, typing something on the laptop.

Pursing her lips in thought, Evie said, "Magic mirror there's more to tell, state the name of where it dwells."

The mirror's face swirls again, settling on a sign that reads _The Museum of Cultural History_.

A museum, Jay thought in disbelief. One of the most powerful magical artifacts was placed in a _museum_?

"It's in a museum," Mal said, just as incredulous. She looked at Evie and Carlos. "Do we know where that is?"

Evie turned the mirror to Carlos, letting him get a clear view of it as he quickly typed something on the laptop, a grin forming on his lips. "Two point three miles from here," Carlos informs them, turning the screen so they could see.

It's so close, Jay thought as he made a quick study of the map, committing it to memory.

Mal smirked. "Excellent. We'll go when it's dark out." She stood up, rolling her shoulders as she made her way to the door, peeking out. "Everyone agreed?"

"Fine by me," Jay said, walking back to his scores, wondering where he could stash them within the room should anyone conduct a surprise inspection.

The tv blinked on, startling them, and Carlos winced. "Whoops," he said, tapping something on the laptop. "My bad. The security in this place is crap."

"Just," Mal sighed out, "don't set off any alarms doing whatever it is you're doing."

"Yes, ma'am," Carlos said as he went back to his new toys, letting Evie look over his shoulder as he fiddled with whatever it was that gave him control of the tv; different channels blinked on at different intervals.

Mal shook her head in half amusement and half exasperation, causing Jay to grin as he watched her make her way to his bed. She peered at his scores again before shifting her attention to him. "So, are you checking out the cafeteria or am I?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jay shrugged. "Think I should, considering I stole all this stuff?"

Mal smirked. "I like when you listen," she said as she pinched his cheek.

Snorting, Jay returned the favor. "I like you less when you test me," he teased, pulled her close, laughing when she flicked his nose.

"You might not like it when I test you," Mal said sweetly, running her fingers down his neck, leaving goosebumps in their wake, "but you never complain when Evie does." She smirked when he narrowed his eyes as heat pooled into his belly. "Try not to have too much fun," Mal said, just as sweet, as she left the room.

Damn Mal and her words, he thought, not really meaning it as Evie glanced over and smiled, gesturing to him with her index finger.

As he followed Evie's command, the heat in his belly growing stronger, Jay couldn't help but grin. At least he wouldn't be too bored waiting for sundown.

—

Night had fallen faster than Jay had expected it, but he mostly blamed the fact that Evie had kept him busy while Carlos had fiddled with a game in the little black box, making more noise than either had heard from him that wasn't brought during sex.

It was weird, seeing Carlos act like the kid he was.

When Mal had come back from staking out the cafeteria, bringing food that was whole and sweet and not tough, food she claimed she did _not_ have to steal, all thought of frivolity vanished, and they set out for the museum.

The trek wasn't hard, but Jay found himself getting distracted, his nerves on edge, due to how open the land was, how clean the ground was, how crisp the air smelled, how the place seemed to shine even in the darkness of night. How the sky had _stars_.

Really, it was a blessing when they reached the museum, as it gave him something concrete to focus on, instead of focusing on how foreign Auradon was.

"There's a guard," Carlos said quietly as they crept to the main doors, peeking through the windows.

"That's all?" Jay asked, cracking his knuckles, more than ready to use his fists; he'd been dormant all day.

"Is storming in really prudent?" Evie asked, glancing at them skeptically.

"Jay can take him," Carlos argued, and Mal snorted.

Rolling his eyes, Jay peered at the old man, belly round and joints probably aching, if the way he sat in that chair was anything to go by. No match if Jay went in with raised fists. But something else caught his eye. "Hey, Mal, isn't that your mother's spinning wheel?"

The spinning wheel was displayed as the first thing you'd see as you walked in, and Jay marveled at how such an old and seemingly innocuous tool could bring someone so close to death.

Mal stared at it, too. "Yes, it is," she said quietly, and after a few moments, a smirk began to creep onto her face. She opened her spell book, flipped a few pages, and took a small breath. " _Magic spindle, do not linger, make my victim prick a finger_."

They all watched as the guard stopped what he was doing and turned to the spinning wheel, but he remained seated.

"Impressive," Jay couldn't help but say.

"Chilling," Carlos agreed, deadpan.

"Hush," Mal said, frowning, and she took a small breath again. " _Prick the finger, prick it deep. Send my enemy off to sleep_."

This time, the guard stood up, confusion on his face as he reached for the spindle, pricking his finger and slowly collapsing next to the display, fast asleep.

"Let me finish the spell before you snark," Mal said with a smirk, reaching for the door handle. It wouldn't give, though, as she pushed and pulled, a frown on her face.

"Stand back," Jay said with a huff of amusement, getting down on one knee as he got his lock picks out.

Mal huffed in return. " _Make it easy, make it quick, open up without a click_ ," she said in a breath, humming triumphantly when the doors opened just like that.

Sighing, Jay stood up, pocketing his lock picks. "Gotta ruin all my fun?" He raised his eyebrow as he allowed Carlos to pat the small of his back.

"Learn magic, you'll have twice the fun," she said as she sauntered past him into the museum, but the way she said it, the way she looked at him, sobered Jay.

Does she know, he thought, throat going dry.

"E, use the mirror," Mal said, now facing Evie, allowing Jay to breathe easier.

"Is my mascara smudged?" Evie asked, quickly bringing the mirror to her face.

Jay glanced at Carlos, sure that Carlos' confusion matched his own.

"No," Mal said, annoyed, "use the mirror for the wand!"

Wincing, Evie nodded. "Magic Mirror lead the way, take us to the wand without delay." Smiling wide, Evie gestured to the right. "This way!"

She jogged forth, leading them through the museum, leading them through exhibits that had no business being in a museum, exhibits that could still provide use despite retired magic rule, exhibits that were so trivial that the only reason they were there at all was because certain people used them, and all of it was boring, was stupid, was predictable. All these so-called great treasures locked away, their use robbed and their meaning lessened.

Evie led them to a staircase, and after briefly checking with the mirror, she smiled again. "This way." She climbed the stairs two at a time, and they followed after her.

Gallery of Villains, Jay read to himself, wondering why on Earth would the do-gooders have a hall for the portraits of people they banished. If they wanted to forget all about them, they shouldn't put anything into a museum, he thought as they ran after Evie, but when they actually set foot in the first room of the Gallery of Villains, they all came to an abrupt stop.

Standing there, dramatically lit by lights at the base of the display, were no mere portraits; standing there were life-sized statues of their parents, but Jay couldn't take his eyes off of Jafar. Jafar, who wasn't old, wasn't worn, who was fit and menacing on a whole, terrifyingly new level, whose expression held ten times the greed and lust for power and... other things. This man, a man both so different from the one on the island yet so similar, held Jay's eye, forced his attention solely on that statue, and Jay saw for the first time how _others_ could view Jafar, saw for the first time the man in his father's stories and rantings about the past.

What Jay saw terrified him more than anything else had, more than Goons on the island, more than Maleficent and her scheming. What Jay saw was a... "Killer..." Jay murmured, and for the first time, Jay believed the word, believed how it could apply to his father, believed that it already _did_.

He blinked, the chill that had settled over him unrelenting, and though he tried to shake himself back to reality, Jafar's statue still commanded his attention. Clearing his throat, Jay clapped his hands, trying to get the others out of their own trances. "Well, the wand's not here. Let's bounce." No one moved for a few more seconds, and that was a few more seconds longer than he wanted to be in that room. "Let's go," he said again, taking a few steps back in the hopes of getting them moving.

It worked. And Jay thanked Allah. 

Because he knew that he'd be seeing that statue in his dreams, in his nightmares, every time he closed his eyes.

"I've never seen my mother like that..." Evie murmured, too focused on her mirror, her grip too tight.

Jay only made a grunt of acknowledge, more than sure she was just talking aloud to herself, and he glanced at Carlos, noting how pale he'd gotten, noting the faraway look to his eyes. And Mal...

Mal wasn't with them.

He inwardly cursed. "Where's Mal?" Jay asked, coming to a halt, and though he knew there could only be one answer, he refused to even turn around, to even face the direction of that room.

Carlos and Evie stopped short, glancing around before settling their gaze on the room they left. They shared a look, and Evie spoke. "Maybe someone should go check on her," she suggested, her eyes resting on Jay.

Jay froze.

"Why not you?" Carlos asked, speaking a little too quickly. "You usually calm her down when she's in one of her moods."

When Evie nodded and left, Jay could have sank to the floor, could have kissed Carlos' feet, but he didn't move; he didn't trust himself to move.

Carlos placed a hand on his shoulder, and when Jay looked at him, Carlos' expression was sobering. "He's not here," he said quietly, but his voice was firm, as was his grip on Jay's shoulder. "He's not here," he repeated, stronger, and Carlos let his hand fall as his eyes glanced behind Jay.

Even without the visual cue, Jay knew the girls were approaching — their footfalls in the silent hallway could be heard a mile away — but Jay was still grateful for Carlos' words.

Mal didn't say a word when she rejoined them, only nodded for Evie to continue leading the way, and Evie did as told, taking off at a run again, no doubt wanting to get out of there as much as he did, as much as they all did. She led them to a railing, and there, one floor below and floating midair, was the wand.

So relieved to finally see it, to see their ticket away from the foreignness of Auradon, Jay let out a whoop, and he ran to the stairs first, so ready to get the task over with. He heard the others chuckle with relief as well, and it wasn't hard to find the hall with the wand in it.

They saw the wand, and it was so close, but as Jay ran near, his mind began to race: when they get the wand, what then? With a start, he realized they hadn't actually discussed anything beyond this point, and panic began to rise in his throat as he thought of all the ways that their task could go south.

Sure, they could feel magic now (well, not Carlos), but that didn't mean they knew how to _use_ it. After all, Mal couldn't get the door open without looking it up in that damned book of her mother's, and he couldn't recall Evie doing anything magical without the aid of her mother's own book. And he... Well, Jay didn't want to think about how some of the scores ended up in his pockets today.

There was no game plan, not even a hint of one, and that unnerved Jay.

What if they got caught? They'd be sent back to the island, and he doubted Maleficent would be pleased with their stay being less than twenty-four hours long.

He remembered his father's words that night, remembered the look he had when he allowed Jay to leave for the treehouse.

(Jafar caressed Jay's ear possessively as he lifted Jay off of his knees, a sinister smile on his face as pushed his thumb between Jay's lips. "Don't try too hard for the wand, my little treasure," he practically purred out, smiling wider as Jay dutifully sucked his thumb gently, insides numb. "If you fail, Maleficent has promised me her little waif of a daughter."

He leaned in close, a hand closing around Jay's neck, squeezing, and Jay felt chilled at the expression on Jafar's face, at the cruel lust dancing openly on his features. "I know you want me to punish her for touching what's mine. Don't worry, little treasure. Fail to obtain the wand, and I'll let you see every moment of her punishment." His grip on Jay's throat tightened to an unbearable degree. "I know how much it'll turn you on," Jafar whispered sweetly.)

Shaking his head from the memory, Jay slid to a stop before the wand, his heart pounding in apprehension of the future should they take it tonight and yet... And yet his heart raced for a different reason. Magic. Strong and disciplined, surrounding the wand, protecting it. It was intoxicating.

Jay had to close his eyes to steady himself. 

But Allah, that _power_... It was as if he could just, just reach out and take it, reach out and command it as his own, reach out and become something else entirely.

"Jay, don't," Mal warned, and it was only then that Jay realized that his arm was raised, that he had been planning on actually reaching for it.

And he didn't stop, just kept on reaching, despite Mal's warning, despite her order, Jay inched ever closer because he knew, he knew tonight was trouble, knew taking the wand now wasn't the way to complete this task; they'd have nowhere to go from here.

Jay held his breath just as his fingertips touched that magic, but he wasn't prepared for what happened next: the once disciplined magic became violent, and it _shoved_ him backward with enough force that he flipped over, left him aching as if he'd just been in the most intense, brutal fight of his life.

And something worse happened: the moment his flesh connected with the force field, Jay saw a vision, a vision of himself, standing over broken and lifeless bodies, his hands bloodied, his face as impassive as stone.

It chilled him.

He couldn't dwell on it, though, not with a siren blaring throughout the museum halls, not with Mal hauling everyone out of the room before the guard could catch them.

I'm gonna catch hell for this, he thought as he pulled himself to his feet, forcing his legs into movement as he caught up with the others, eyes darting from the empty hallways to Mal, trying to catch a glimpse of her expression, and back again.

As they neared the entrance, Jay heard a phone ring, and he picked up his speed; if someone was calling, then it wouldn't be too long before someone showed up, and that's the last thing they needed, the last thing he needed.

They cleared the doors, the cool night air washing over them, and Jay finally allowed himself to smirk, turning to Carlos to give him the _all clear_ gesture, but Jay skidded to a halt. Carlos wasn't beside him.

Panic crashing back over him, Jay whistled as he turned on his heel and ran back to the museum. Had Carlos been captured? Was someone else in the museum, someone sent to apprehend the intruders to imprison them on the island? Heart in his throat, Jay pushed open the door.

Only to find Carlos grinning as he hung up the phone.

That stupid son of a bitch, Jay thought, relieved and amused and exasperated.

"Carlos!" Mal whispered fiercely, startling Jay somewhat. She glared at the both of them before she ran from the museum once more.

"You're welcome," Carlos muttered as he ran after her, Jay on his heels.

"Real smooth, Jay," Mal hissed once Carlos was safely outside and running with them, getting good distance from the museum. She glared again. "Hope you're ready for class tomorrow."

Despite the dig, Jay didn't feel threatened. Well, not too threatened, as he had no idea what Auradon even taught in their schools. How to be gentlemanly? How to be born with privilege and live in luxury? Whatever they taught, he was sure he wouldn't get it, so why bother?

So Jay just kept his mouth shut as they traveled back to the dorms, kept to the back of the group due to habit as he kept an eye out for anything that could prove problematic, trying not to think about the wand and its force field, trying not to focus on the fact that he felt magic's presence now more than ever.

Fuck, it was enticing.

It took everything he had for Jay to focus on the road, on those he called his, and he once again wondered what was wrong with him that he was the only one so affected by magic's presence.

Was he truly broken, was he truly such filth that all it took was one little intake of breath to come undone, to allow everything, all his darkness and sin, rise above to the surface from where he'd carefully kept them locked deep within him?

He shook his head, hard. Snap out of it, damn it, he thought to himself, anger pushing past everything else. It's the wand, it was that stupid force field, it _has_ to be, he mused, trying to convince himself that the thought was true, no matter how much he didn't really believe it. It was a good enough lie, though, to keep put his mind at ease, and he continued concentrating on keeping a level head as they came upon the school.

Mal stopped them, motioned for Evie to check the mirror, and they waited while Evie whispered something into the looking glass before giving the signal to keep moving; Mal let Evie lead the way, the tension in her shoulders unbearable to see.

Jay winced, knowing he was the cause.

Once they entered the dormitory, Mal let Evie lead Carlos back to his and Jay's room, and she held out her hand to stop Jay's movements, her intense gaze turning on him, pinning him.

"Jay, what the fuck," Mal said quietly, mindful of the echoing hallway and the fact that such a thing as curfews existed in this place.

He didn't feel like starting a fight, not after experiencing whatever that was from the force field, not after dealing with his own head on the way back here. "What, Mal?" he asked as he took two steps to the dorm room, figuring being near the other two would quell Mal's temper, if only by a little.

Mal, of course, wasn't having it as she grabbed Jay's arm, now physically keeping him in place. "I told you _not_ to, Jay," she said, face and tone fierce, "and yet, what did you do?"

"I tested the waters," Jay bit out, telling himself to be calm, to explain, to get Mal to _see_. "What was the plan, Mal? What would you have done once we got the damned thing?"

Mal narrowed her eyes. "Go back to the island."

"How?" he demanded, cursing her stubbornness.

"The same way we got out," she said, but this time, Jay could see it, could see her piecing together his concerns.

Thank fuck, he thought as he continued. "And bring the wand to a place that cancels all magic?"

"We wouldn't bring it there _first_. We'd have to break the barrier before we head back."

"And you know to do that?"

Mal remained silent.

"You think it's just point and flick your wrist?" Jay asked, trying his best to keep from mocking. "You have to read your mom's book just to be able to do magic."

"Wrong," Mal said, tone oddly calm. "I don't need words." She threw her arm out and grabbed something that wasn't there, closing her fist and _pulling_. Lightning quick, she pushed him out of the way as an axe came flying at them from the knight's armor it had decorated, embedding itself into the wall, right where Jay's head had been.

Jay stared at it.

"I don't need the words," Mal said again, quieter and softer this time, still holding onto Jay's vest. "But they help control it."

"My point still stands," Jay said, just as quiet but not quite as soft, and he couldn't help but brush her hair behind her ear, exposing the earring — his mother's earring, _his_ earring. "How would you have broken the barrier?"

"You don't need control to smash something," Mal murmured, tracing his jawline. "You just need blunt force."

"That's careless," Jay chided, smirking a little at the words.

Mal mirrored his smirk. "That's priceless, coming from you."

Jay couldn't help but chuckle, and he leaned in, pressing his mouth against her neck, not quite a kiss, just mere physical contact, letting her know that he didn't want to fight anymore, that he was apologizing for acting without telling her, and he closed his eyes in relief when Mal's hand caressed his cheek, when she pulled him up and delivered a kiss to his lips.

"You want me to protect them," Jay began, barely above a murmur, remembering her pride when he admitted to thinking about breaking the arrangement, and he nuzzled into her hand, kissing her palm, "so that's what I'm doing. I'm protecting you all." He made sure to speak clearly, made sure she heard his conviction, made sure she knew that she was included as well.

Mal breathed deeply through her nose, letting the tension in her shoulders ease with her exhale, and she gazed up at Jay, simply staring at him with those intense green eyes of hers, letting Jay get lost in her magic, a magic that was so flawless and natural that Jay wondered if Mal even knew it was there.

"We'll think of something else," she said softly, her thumb smoothing across his skin. "We'll be better prepared next time." Gently and slowly, uncharacteristic of her, she placed a kiss on the corner of his lips.

Nodding, Jay took her hand in his, bringing it from his cheek but not letting go. "C'mon, the others are waiting." He gently tugged on her hand, and he watched as she willingly followed him into his dorm room.

Evie and Carlos were curled up against each other on Carlos' bed, and they both looked up when Jay and Mal entered the room.

"You gals should probably get going. Who knows how they check for the stupid curfew rules," Jay said with a sigh.

"After classes tomorrow, we'll regroup and get a plan ironed out this time," Mal said, glancing at Jay, giving a minute nod, giving him her word.

"Um," Carlos said as Evie kissed his temple as she left the bed, "I got a look at the museum's security system. I can probably get into it from here."

"Isn't that a little risky?" Jay asked. Not that he knew much about all the tech junk, but still.

Carlos shrugged. "Even if it is, the computer isn't mine. Whoever Jay stole it from will get most of the heat, and we'll know about any activity with enough time to toss the computer anyway."

Jay glanced at Mal and Evie, grin slowly forming on his face as he took in Mal's impressed expression.

"Then we have a starting point," Mal said with a smirk. "We'll meet in our room once classes are done, and you can look into it then. Focus on getting through the course load first." Her smirk faded. "If we don't see each other during the day, keep your head. We have to blend in until we get the wand." She glanced at Jay. "No fights, keep the thieving light."

Jay snorted. "Keep your eyes in check," he returned.

"Better tell Evie to keep her hands off scissors and acid," Carlos quipped, causing Jay to snicker.

Evie put her hands on her hips, tuttering. "I think I can find something else to do with my hands," she said coyly. "Ben might be off limits, but there has to be more princes in this school."

"Who says he's off limits?" Carlos asked. "Just take him from Audrey. He didn't look too thrilled by her anyway."

Jay hid his smirk. Carlos had a bit of a mean streak if someone crossed one of them, and Jay couldn't blame him for it in the slightest; he didn't think he'd ever forget that Audrey slighted Evie nor forgive her for causing Evie to wear the expression she had.

"Ben is going to be King of _Auradon_ ," Evie said, amused. "I think going after him would be he exact opposite of low profile." Even as she said it, she let out her little dreamy sigh, causing Carlos to roll his eyes.

"Whatever," he murmured as he kicked off his boots.

Shaking her head a little, Mal sighed. "Make sure you're on time to your classes. Who knows what they do for being tardy."

"Detention," Evie answered, blinking when everyone stared at her. "What? I read most of the handbook!" She huffed, hands on her hips. "I even know what my classes are tomorrow. Do you?"

"We're not in the same classes?" Carlos asked, brow creasing.

Evie's amusement slipped from her features as she shook her head. "I've checked with Mal's schedule, and then with the mirror. We're taking some of the same classes, but they're at different times, with the exception of remedial goodness. It's our first class of the day," she said, apologetic as Carlos frowned.

Jay couldn't blame Carlos as he felt his own stomach sinking. He'd never not been in several classes with Mal before. Still, it's only four a day, he told himself as he moved next to Evie, pulling her into a kiss, trying to reassure her.

When she hummed into it, he considered it a victory.

Breaking away, Jay turned to Mal, raising an eyebrow. They'd already kissed, after all, and with Mal, it was moderation unless she initiated.

Rolling her eyes, she walked up to him and cupped his chin, guiding his lips to hers, and Jay sighed into it.

"See you in class," Mal said as she pulled away, and Jay only nodded.

"Rest well," Evie said as they slipped out the door, leaving the room in silence.

Taking in a deep breath, Jay held it as he made his way to the bed, releasing it as he collapsed on the covers, the sensation weird, too soft.

"Did you and Mal argue?" Carlos asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Jay blinked at the ceiling. He'd almost forgotten Carlos was there. "Yeah, but we came to an understanding."

"It isn't your fault you couldn't see the force field," Carlos said, voice still quiet.

Unease twisted in his gut, churning, and Jay needed to change the topic or he'd suffocate.

"Kinda didn't listen to Mal," he said as lightly as he could, propping himself up, giving Carlos a grin he didn't feel. "So," he continued before Carlos could get a word in, "do you wanna break in our beds?"

Carlos blinked. Then he flushed. "Jay!"

Chuckling, Jay merely shrugged. "What? So you'd have to be quiet, big deal."

Rolling his eyes, Carlos got up, walked to the light switch and flipped it off.

"Don't trip on your way back," Jay said, snickering, and he was delighted when Carlos dropped on the bed, hitting him on the hip. 

He pulled Carlos on top of him, kissed him deep and lingering, and Jay forgot about the events of the day, of the night, and just lost himself in everything that was Carlos.

———

Evie blinked awake, eyelids fluttering too fast as her heart raced, a thin sheen of sweat covering her body. As she sat up, she tried not to shiver, tried to get her breathing to even out.

She had dreamed of her mother. Dreamed she was back in that drafty old castle, in that horribly cold room with no windows, stipped naked in the torchlight as her mother inspected every inch of her body, as she produced the acidic solution whenever she found something wrong with Evie's form — and there was always something wrong — as she dropped the solution on her flesh, as she watched as Evie struggled to not make a sound as it ate away anything her mother deemed imperfect, as Evie stared into space as her mother rubbed the raw areas with a cloth dipped in a solution to ease the area and lessen the scars, a solution whose precise ingredients Evil Queen kept to herself.

Shaking her thoughts away, Evie quietly got out of bed, noting that the clock on the nightstand read quarter till six. It was only because you saw her statue, Evie told herself as she tiptoed to the bathroom. She isn't here, there's no inspection today, she reminded herself as she closed the bathroom door, flipping the light switch, the light almost blinding.

Everything in Auradon worked one hundred times better than on the island, and though she was thrilled to be in a place with so many colors and _princes_ , Evie also felt overwhelmed at times. She first noticed her uneasiness on the tour with Doug. Though, if she were honest, it started when she _met_ Doug.

On the island, she'd never met a person who could withstand her seduction, and though his eyes went a little hazy, Doug had spoken coherent sentences, could function normally instead of being reduced to the pathetic puddle that usually occurred after she set her gaze on anyone. It had weirded her out, just a little, but she always did like a challenge; it was the reason she and Jay got along so well, their little competitive games.

But no, what really brought her unease was the fact that, during Doug's tour, no one had looked at her, not in the way she was used to, and it nearly drove her mad. There were no glares of envy, no looks of lust, barely any looks at all, and what little there was only held disgust.

Her mother's words — _In Auradon, you'd be nothing more than a common stone among gems, especially since you choose to waste your beauty efforts on filth like a street rat and some mangy runt_ — nearly consumed her, if not for moments when Doug would let his words trail as he simply gazed at her.

And though it was a much needed confidence boost, Evie couldn't help but observe that people did look at _Doug_. Of course, sneered was probably the better word to describe the looks sent his way, and right away Evie knew the reason: Doug was Dwarf kin.

Her mother raised her to be the royal no one in Auradon believed her to be, so Evie knew about lineages, about nobility, about the confusing and sometimes pointless hierarchy of titles, everything circulating around one's status, so in truth, she couldn't really blame Audrey for putting emphasis on it.

That didn't mean she had to like the girl, of course.

Audrey hadn't spared much attention to Doug either, barely acknowledged his presence despite the fact that her boyfriend was practically embracing him, and Evie understood why the moment Doug offered his parentage.

Which then confused her. His heritage, only recently promoted to lordship due to the insistence of the princess whom they helped out, and that promotion was basically in name only, was looked down on by the those in power, so why would Doug offer such a weakness to them? Evie could only assume it was meant to a peace offering, a gesture of goodwill and solidarity, meant to say _don't worry, I'm from the gutter, too_.

Evie still didn't get it.

"I can hear you thinking," Mal called from the other side of the door. "You've been in there for half an hour."

Smiling slightly, Evie opened the door, her smile widening as she took in the sight of a sleep rumpled Mal. She's so beautiful, she doesn't have to try, Evie mused, the comparison no longer bothering her. She'd long since acknowledged that she'd never catch Mal in terms of beauty.

"You're still in your nightgown," Mal said, eyebrow raised. She made no move to get into the bathroom.

"Lost in thought, I guess," Evie murmured, and she promptly began shedding her clothes. Their first class wasn't until eight, so she had plenty of time to primp.

Mal merely watched her, leaning on the door frame.

"You could join me," Evie ventured, now standing naked before Mal. She bent down to turn the water on, glancing over her shoulder. "There's plenty of room." There was no cast iron tub like in her mother's castle, and a part of her would miss soaking in the water, but Evie liked the idea of a shower. She experimented with the handles, and she was delighted and awed to find the water turning _warm_.

Washing with warm water, she thought with a sigh, raising her foot to step into the spray.

"Evie," Mal said, tone odd, _restrained_.

And Evie froze. That tone never meant anything good came after it, and she slowly turned to face Mal.

Mal stared at her, eyes constantly moving over her body, and the action made Evie swallow.

Mal's gazes were never critical, not when Evie was stripped bare, always showing appreciation and something akin to reverence and lust, but now... Now disapproval was in her gaze, anger bubbling beneath her features.

What had she done? What did she do to lose Mal's favor?

(Evie had always dreaded this day, but she didn't think it would come so soon.)

"Who did that to you?" Mal asked quietly.

"W-what?" Evie cursed her tongue, her nerves, for showing her weakness, but she really had no idea what Mal was talking about.

"I've never noticed before..." she continued, voice still quiet, letting her words trail as she moved closer to Evie, as she gently let her hand roam over Evie's body, as her fingers stopped over one particular spot above her navel, tracing.

Evie paled, realization hitting her. "Mal..." She had no words.

Mal didn't take her eyes off the faded scar, so faded it might as well be gone, but the bright light of the bathroom, brighter than all the light on the island combined, revealed its location.

And Evie, who had never had any issue with her own nudity in front of Jay or Carlos, in front of Mal, was struck with the overwhelming desire to cover up, to hide _all_ of the scars, so faded that she hadn't paid any mind to them until just this moment.

"Mal..." Evie tried again, but she closed her mouth when Mal shook her head.

"Tell me who did this," Mal said, and though her command was issued gently, the fire in her eyes could not be missed.

Swallowing, Evie closed her eyes. "My mother's beauty remedies..."

Mal sucked in a sharp breath. " _This_ is why you needed the acid? _This_ is why we stole it for you?" Her voice, as steady as it was, held barely contained anger. "Evie, why—"

"She isn't here now," Evie said hurriedly, swallowing when Mal narrowed her eyes at being cut off. "It's in the past. We need to focus on the task at hand." She prayed that Mal would leave it alone, would let Evie do her morning routine, prayed to God that Mal wouldn't look at her _differently_.

Mal remained silent, gaze unblinking, and there was clearly a war raging within her. Finally, after what seemed like an eon, she moved, gently, so gently Evie almost broke, framed Evie's face with her hands, and delivered a kiss to her lips, lingering and sweet in a way that Mal rarely was.

Evie melted. She clung. She didn't want it to end.

"Evie," Mal breathed once she finally pulled away, thumbs brushing Evie's skin the same way they always had, "you're mine."

Barely containing a gasp, Evie shivered, so close to breaking.

Mal leaned in to kiss Evie's cheek. "You're mine," she said into Evie's skin, a declaration. "You're mine," she said as she kissed Evie's neck, a spell. "You're mine no matter who thinks they can take you," she said before kissing her again, a promise, a threat, a vow.

And Evie broke, collapsed against Mal, melted all over again into the kiss, and it felt like she couldn't control her breathing when they broke apart, Evie holding onto Mal for dear life and Mal letting her.

Evie lost track of time, and she didn't care.

"I will say this for the brightness of Auradon," Mal said eventually, hushed tone so loud in the silence, "I'm grateful it showed me just how much I want to exact retribution on Grimhilde."

Evie shuddered. No one used her mother's given name anymore, as it had all but been forbidden not only by the queen herself but by _history_. Her mother had forbidden it because it was a reminder of all that she had lost, the kingdom and the glory and the beauty, and Auradon, despite favoring tradition and history, had forbidden it because they didn't see her as a person, didn't want to remember her as anything but a vain and evil wench.

Evie held onto Mal a little tighter, marveling at Mal's strength, at her determination, at her fearlessness. Evie could never compete, and so she was so glad this girl, this wonderfully vicious and cunning and gorgeous girl, chose her, claimed her, let her be a part of Mal's life.

"C'mon," Mal said, nudging Evie gently, "we can't be late for class." She didn't bother hiding her disdain, and that made Evie smile.

Breathing in deeply, Evie steadied herself enough to withdraw from Mal's arms, and the smile she offered Mal was genuine, small and shy as it was. "You can still join me?" she offered, testing the water and amazed to still find it warm.

Mal rolled her eyes, one hand on her hip. "I _suppose_ I can, if it'll get you to stop whining." She began peeling off her clothes.

Evie smiled wide, a little stunned, filled with absolute giddiness. Mal had never really stripped bare in front of them, and Evie's heart grew as Mal, with sure movements as always, shed her clothing, as she let Evie _see_ her.

And Evie saw. She saw the mark Maleficent had spoken of, a black two headed dragon with wings raised, resting just above the small of her back, and Evie felt her chest tighten, felt her heart swell at Mal's generosity, honored that she let Evie _see_.

"Is that steam?" Mal asked, eyebrow raised, and though her tone was steady and her expression no less determined, the corner of her mouth twitched, broadcasting her discomfort at being so bare.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Evie attended to the water. "Sorry, I was experimenting with the temperature. There's warm water here! Oh, but, we can wash with cold water, I don't mind," Evie babbled as she checked the shower amenities, finding it already supplied with soap and shampoo, and she hoped Mal wouldn't regret her decision to share with Evie something so deeply personal.

While Mal might not have said anything about the mark, Evie knew, just knew, that it meant something beyond her own understanding, perhaps beyond even _Mal's_. 

Mal pulled her from her activity, and her thoughts, and shut her up with a kiss. "Just put it to the temperature you want. After we're done here, I'll go get us some food." She let Evie go back to readying the shower, her hands on her hips. "And don't say you don't need anything," she added, eyebrow quirked.

Evie simply smiled, giving a little nod, and once she deemed the shower ready, she guided Mal into the spray, watched as Mal's eyes fluttered at the _warmth_ , and Evie delighted in the fact that Mal actually let her lead this time, let her wash her skin and hair, let her pamper her.

And so Evie let her dream and her confession slip into the back of her mind, focusing instead on all that was Mal. And she was content.

—

Evie had never been so bored with school in her life.

Homeschooling, yes, she was bored to tears by her mother's lessons on royal successions and lineages and court etiquette, but classrooms filled with students, peers her own age? That had never bothered Evie, no matter the subject.

Auradon Prep, however, proved to be the first, the exception to the rule. Remedial goodness was a joke; it didn't teach how to be good, it taught them how to answer the questions to Fairy Godmother's liking, and thanks to Mal's leadership, they all learned the ropes quickly.

But safety rules for the internet? It was just another joke, and it seemed she was the only one to realize it, matters made worse by the fact that she was seated in a classroom full of fourteen-year-olds (none of which had the same intelligence as Carlos).

It didn't help that she was alone, that whoever designed their schedules sought to keep them separate and away from each other. It made Evie burn. The time would pass faster, the subject more bearable, if she had one of the others with her, but apparently that was a step too far.

She thanked God that Jay's second class was around the same time as, and was near, hers. She needed to see a familiar face, a face that didn't hold such disdain and disgust, with the occasional dose of fear, before venturing off to her next class.

The bell sounded, its tone too sweet and nowhere near the bellowing drone of Dragon Hall, and Evie quickly packed up and made her way to Jay's classroom. His class had started fifteen minutes after hers, so she would have to wait, but that was a small price to pay in return for a warm embrace.

Settling against the opposite wall, Evie made herself presentable, hoping to catch the eye of a prince, hoping that prince would look at her with interest so that she could give her mother what she always wanted, so that her mother would finally be satisfied with her.

So far, the odds weren't in her favor.

Those who did look at her either already had someone on his arm or was too preoccupied with those phone things that Jay had stolen to really give her more than a passing glance. She felt awful, the feeling of being measured and left almost wanting unbearable.

Maybe they court differently here, she thought sullenly, trying her best not to show her mood. Maybe they court with those phones, maybe I should ask Jay to steal one for me, she mused as she watched yet another boy walk past her, his eyes only flickering her way for a brief moment before focusing back on the screen in his palm.

The bell sounded, and Evie's smile brighten when the door opened, ready to greet Jay with a sly remark and engage in their brand of banter, anything to take her mind off of being looked over, but her smile faded as she saw Jay rush out the room, head held down and bearing tense.

Oh no, she thought as she hurried to catch him, trying to remember what the name of the class was. "Jay!" she called, wondering if it were wise to call for him so obviously. Her stomach dropped at how Jay came to a complete stop, shoulders tensing, barely moving from his spot.

"Jay, what's happened?" she asked when she got closer, keeping her tone soft, her voice quiet.

Jay's eyes traveled to hers, and they cleared, recognition settling in, and he sighed. "Fucking ninety minutes," he muttered, his hands twitching, growing restless once more.

Sitting still for so long is probably tearing at him, Evie thought, concerned. She glanced around, noting that other students were starting to take notice, showing their disgust, and she grabbed Jay's hand and led him away.

A good majority of the students in the hallways would most likely head to the cafeteria for lunch, so we should be able to have some privacy, she thought as she led him to another hallway not in use, to the girl's bathroom, thankfully empty.

"Why are we in a bathroom?" Jay asked, blinking around, still not quite back from whatever head space the long class put him in.

"Because you're gonna kiss me," Evie said, walking him into a stall. "Because we're gonna hook up right here where no one else can see." She locked the door, looking at him expectantly.

The bathroom was too clean, too bright and sparkling, to ever let them pretend to be back in Dragon Hall, but Evie figured doing something at least a little familiar would help Jay get back in his right mind, and they did enjoy their little game of quickies back on the island.

Eyebrow raised, Jay wasted no time in complying with Evie's order, pulling her close and kissing her as if it were the only thing keeping him alive, and Evie felt her nerves open up, her skin growing so warm so quickly.

How had she already forgotten the sheer force that was _Jay?_

"What about the others?" Jay gasped out when they broke apart, pulling her close as he placed a thigh between her legs, leaning in to kiss at her neck.

Evie hummed in appreciation, riding his thigh as if it were something _else_ , her hands running up and down his arms. "Their classes started half an hour after ours," she answered, biting her lip, watching Jay's eyes grow dark.

Jay kissed her again, pushed her against the stall door, eliciting a moan from her. "What do you want?" he asked her, voice husky, his hands digging into her hips in just the right way.

"Whatever you want," Evie gasped out, breathy and quick, as Jay nipped at her neck. "God, Jay, whatever you want, just take it." He was being rougher than he normally would, rougher without her actually having to fight him for it, and Evie felt herself _hunger_.

At her words, she didn't expect him to leave her personal space, was even more unprepared for Jay dropping to his knees, but oh how the heat pooled in her belly as she watched him lick his lips, as she watched him look up with that dark gaze and sly smirk.

Evie's head fell back as he lifted her skirt, as she shimmied as he pulled down her panties, and she took a breath when he began kissing her inner thighs, his hands massaging and kneading the marks he left.

A moan escaped her at his first teasing lick, and Evie's skin burned. He'd rarely done this for her, not because he wasn't willing, but because she suspected that he let her take the reins whenever they fucked, and Evie usually preoccupied herself with bringing Jay release.

Now, though, Jay seemed determined to make up for all the times Evie took charge, and his tongue and lips left Evie shivering, left her melting, left her trying to quiet the _noise_ coming out of her mouth.

" _Fuck_ , Jay," Evie moaned, her hands on Jay's head, grip tightening, nearly pulling off his cap. Where had he learned to use his mouth like that, she wondered, panting and shaking, her head hitting the stall door as she rolled her hips to meet Jay's mouth.

(In the back of her mind, a treacherous little voice supplied her with the reminder of _Jafar_ , but like most things, she buried that _deep_.)

Evie's breath hitched as Jay pulled one of her legs over his shoulders, and the both of them groaned at the new angle. Jay moved with abandon then, his hands gripping her hips, her ass, hard enough to bruise, his tongue and lips _worshiping_ her cunt, and Evie had to bite her hand to keep from shouting, from moaning too loudly.

It didn't help anything that Jay sounded just as far gone as she did, sounded like he couldn't get enough of her taste, his movements almost desperate as he rocked into her, pushing her harder into the stall door, his tongue and lips working her to the edge, and Evie cried out, trying to muffle the sound with the back of her hand, when Jay rubbed her clit.

She'd come undone, the fire within her blazing bright for a few, long, blissful seconds, her whole body shaking with her release as she kept Jay in place, as he pressed into her _more_.

Holy shit, she thought, feeling weak in the best of ways, blinking as Jay carefully brought her leg down from his shoulder, as he gathered toilet paper, so much softer to the touch than that in Dragon Hall, to clean both her thighs and his chin.

Her heart swelled at the gentle care he showed her, kissing any mark he left behind, and Evie found herself smiling, not only at her own contentment of release but at Jay's relaxed bearing, at the gleam in his eyes.

"Not gonna run away?" she breathed out, trying to round up the brain power to find the right phrase. "No hit it and quit it today?"

Jay snorted, standing up to kiss her, letting Evie taste herself on his lips. "Never with you, princess. Besides, I think I owe you a meal after that." Jay grinned, his usual charm and self-confidence restored.

Evie laughed, heart full and easy. "Whatever you say, oh prince of thieves." She laughed again as he did a poor imitation of her curtsy. "Do you need me to return the favor?" she asked, more than willing.

Chuckling, Jay shook his head. "I'm fine," he said, leaning in for another kiss, one which she gave gladly. "I got to eat dessert before the meal, after all," he continued, speaking against her lips, grin wide.

Swatting him playfully, and glad she could provide a distraction for Jay's restlessness, Evie just laughed.

———

She wouldn't say she hated classes in general, but Mal hated Auradon Prep. She had known she would, but she hadn't expected her hate to be quite so strong.

Maybe it was the fact that her second class — Mal didn't want to think about her first class; remedial goodness was a goddamn waste of time, and, frankly, she was ashamed that someone of her ilk, of the fae, could be so easily fooled — was history of woodsmen and pirates, which put her in a room filled with ignorant fourteen-year-olds, young brats who had someone to wipe their asses all their lives. They were nothing like Carlos, smart and brilliant and capable, and the difference only made Mal hate them harder.

The kids were too green, too pampered and unaware, and Mal just couldn't relate, couldn't help but see their bright faces in relation to Jay's, to Evie's, to Carlos. Their lives couldn't be more different, their experiences more varied, more harsh.

(Mal didn't want to call what they'd been through mere experiences, and she didn't want to compare them to the young, fresh faces all around her; those kids probably never _experienced_ anything in their whole life.)

And so when the bell rang, tone too grating on her nerves, Mal hurried out of the room, much preferring the hallways than she'd ever expected. She needed to find Carlos and bring him to the meeting place Evie had designated, and she could only hope the others had fared better than she had.

Mal blinked as she came to a stop, brow creasing as she felt... _something_. She glanced around, not paying mind to those who stared at her with wariness and disgust, trying to find where the weird sensation was coming from.

Her intuition led her to a closed classroom, and peeking inside found Carlos seated in the middle of the room, his back to her, the sight of him sitting there rigid as hell enough to make Mal want to pry open door right then and there. It was annoying, but Mal refrained, opting to wait until his class let out to investigate.

She couldn't do what she normally would, after all, not here.

As the minutes passed, though, she began to rethink her restraint. Barging into the room with flashing eyes sounded much better than _waiting_ , and when the professor dismissed the class, Mal was elated.

Only, Carlos didn't get up right away.

Eyes narrowed, Mal watched as all the other kids left the room, most of them noticing her glare and scurrying away, and it took everything she had not to bark an order at Carlos when he took his time getting up.

Her tune changed as soon as she took in his face.

"Carlos," she called quietly as she made her way to him, noting the professor had left with the group.

"Mal," Carlos said, surprised and embarrassed, "what are you doing here?"

"My class is close to yours," she answered, holding up her hand when he opened his mouth, no doubt ready to attempt distraction. "What's going on with you?" She cupped his chin, turning his head this way and that.

At her question, his face flushed even more. "Nothing major," he mumbled.

Mal studied him, pursing her lips at the way he avoided her eyes. Letting his chin go, and pleased to see he didn't try to move away, Mal opened her spell book, let her fingers work on their own, trusting them to find an appropriate spell.

Her fingers stopped on a page, and Mal read the words beneath it, feeling satisfied. Clearing her throat, she spoke, voice low and full of feeling. " _Fragile and blind are mortal eyes; hide my deeds by supplying lies; make gazes stray and minds at ease; no harm from what they do not see_."

There was a ripple through the air, and Carlos even shuddered at it, which made him squirm even more. "Mal...?"

"We're alone now, and we won't be disturbed," Mal said, and while it was true, Mal didn't think the spell would fool the Fairy Godmother should she happen to walk past the room. It was a risk she was willing to take. "Tell me what's going on."

Carlos swallowed, looking down. "It really is nothing. I just got, I don't know, horny, I guess. Hit me outta nowhere near the end of class." The admission clearly embarrassed him, as he had yet to meet her eyes, but the embarrassment wasn't all to blame for his flushed skin.

Something else is going on, she thought, studying him some more, noting that he indeed had an erection. Normally, Carlos wasn't the type to think with his junk, and the only time Mal had ever seen him in a state like this was when he was with one of them, when one of them initiated something. So why now, she thought, brow creased.

"Do you want my hand or my mouth?" Mal asked, figuring lending her assistance was the best option as he could hardly venture out into the hallways like that. No need to attract unwanted attention.

" _What_ ," Carlos said, finally looking at her, blinking owlishly.

"My spell will hide us in plain sight," Mal explained, knowing he probably wouldn't trust it anyway, non-believer as he was. "Besides, you act as if I've never gotten you off before."

"Well, I mean, yeah, you have, but you usually let the others, uh, you know, take care of things," he stammered out, squirming more.

Mal snorted, more amused now — it was clear as day how much Carlos wanted to get release. "Carlos, they aren't here right now. Do you want my hand or my mouth?" she asked again, raising her hand to trace his jaw, perhaps playing a little dirty.

Shivering, Carlos closed his eyes as he leaned into the contact, and he groaned, brow creasing in frustration at her tactics. "Your hand is fine," he whispered, biting his bottom lip as he looked at her with pupil-blown eyes.

Moving closer, Mal slowly undid his zip, watching his expression, taking note of how each little action she did made him shiver and twitch. Intrigued, she pushed his shorts and underwear down just enough to free his cock, and she watched him _groan_.

What in the world, she thought as she lightly stroked him, just enough to tease, and he damn near whined. "How long have you been like this?" she asked. Because it was strange, was intriguing.

Carlos never lost control of himself, not when he wasn't near them.

Breathing heavy, hands gripping the edge of the desk he was leaning on, Carlos shuddered. "The, the last thirty minutes or so," he breathed out, trying not to let his hips rock up into Mal's hand.

So odd, Mal thought, and she finally took pity on him, let herself move her hand the way Carlos liked it, the way that got his blood going, firm strokes at a pace just shy of fast, and she marveled at the change in Carlos, at how he became so loose and pliable at her touch.

Something's affecting him, something I'm missing, she mused as she leaned in, her free hand going to his hair, gripping a little harder than needed as she brought his lips to hers, and Carlos moaned, bucking into her hand unbidden.

"C'mon, Carlos, let go," she said when they broke apart, feeling his pants on her lips, and she picked up her pace. "I've got you, let go, I've got you."

Carlos groaned, eyes squeezing shut as he came, his whole body shuddering with it, and he leaned into Mal, and true to her word, she had him, held onto him as she milked his orgasm, held him as he rode it out to the last.

Breathing still a little heavy, Carlos merely blinked, apparently content to just lean on Mal, his brain on cool down.

Amused, Mal maneuvered him so that he was sitting comfortably at the desk, looking for all the world like he was drunk. "Still with me?" she asked, her clean hand messing up his hair. When Carlos only nodded, Mal raised her eyebrow. "Want to clean my hand?" she asked again as she smoothed down the mess she made of his hair.

A little whine escaped Carlos' throat, and he tilted his head, mouth opening.

Something sparked within Mal, alarming her, and she gripped his hair again, tipping his head further back, blood pulsing at how Carlos whined again as he opened his mouth _wider_ , so she gave him what he wanted, let him lick and suck himself off of her hand, her heart racing at the sight, at the power she had over him.

What's going on, he's never this bad, she thought as he licked his lips when he was done, leaning back into the chair now that she released her hold on him.

"Why were you so restless?" Mal asked once Carlos' breathing regulated, once the gleam returned to his eyes. "Where's that laptop of yours?" If anything could have taken his mind off of whatever caused the heat in his body, Mal figured the laptop would do the trick.

"I didn't want to carry it with me. People might ask questions," Carlos said simply, eyes and expression still a little dazed, but he no longer looked as drunk as he blinked at her.

Mal quirked an eyebrow, impressed. She knew Carlos was a genius, but she hadn't expected him to do so well by himself, to think things through like that. She didn't know why she thought that, but she had, and now she saw how wrong she'd been.

When she met up with Jay that morning to gather breakfast for their roommates, Jay told her about Carlos rigging the tv and online gaming network to hook up with his laptop as a security system for their room, and that Carlos would work on rigging _that_ to hook up to the extra laptop Jay had stolen so it could be placed in Mal and Evie's room.

Jay had been openly impressed, stating that he didn't even think of that, and Mal hadn't admitted that neither did she. Carlos, once again, unsettled her.

Seeing him now, blinking sluggishly as he leaned against the desk, one would never know about the absolutely terrifying brain he possessed. In way, Mal liked that; who knew what they would do to him if anyone found out just what Carlos was capable of doing.

"Let's get you something to eat," Mal said, ruffling his hair in a poor imitation of Jay, and she decided to brush off Carlos' behavior as nerves, as the result of being in a foreign land.

At the hair ruffle, the corners of Carlos' lips quirked upward, but he shook his head. "I don't need anything." He stood up, straightening himself out.

Mal snorted. "Don't give me that. I don't feel like adding Evie's or Jay's bitching to my list of things to tolerate today, so you're gonna eat."

Though he tried to hide it, Carlos was amused. "Fine. Do you think we can find them?"

"Yeah, Evie already knows all of our schedules, so she gave me a place to meet up at."

"Of course she did," Carlos said flatly, but he could hardly keep his small grin in check.

"Bunch of idiots," she said, and if there were traces of fondness in her voice, neither mentioned it.

—

"If I have to go through those classes again, I think I'm gonna hurl," Mal said as she entered her room, finding Evie and Jay already there, Evie sitting at the table and Jay lounging on Evie's bed. "Where's Carlos?"

"Fifteen minutes after yours, remember?" Evie said, apologetic.

Oh right, Mal thought as she dropped her backpack down and sat on her bed. Evie had explained their schedules at lunch; Mal hadn't liked it then, and she didn't like it now. She liked it less knowing that no one was escorting Carlos back here. "Anyone run into any trouble?"

"You mean besides each class being over an _hour_?" Jay snarked, pressing the heel of his palms into his eyes. "Fucking torture," he muttered.

"No one takes any interest," Evie said, a pout on her lips. "How am I supposed to find a prince to seduce if I can't get fourteen-year-olds to talk to me?" She scribbled something down furiously, pout worsening.

"You have a magic mirror," Jay pointed out as he propped himself up on his elbow, amused.

Evie blinked. "Oh, right," she said, a giggle to her voice.

Mal rolled her eyes. "I'm going to stab someone," she said, apropos of nothing.

"Audrey?" Jay guessed, glancing at Mal.

"No," Mal said, glaring at him. "Though, I won't deny, the thought has crossed my mind." She crossed her arms, unamused with his grin. "What about you? Pick any fights?"

Jay scoffed. "Please. Most of my classmates are fourteen and a third my size. Barely worth my time." He raised an eyebrow. "Unless you wanna fight?"

Evie chuckled. "I don't think Auradon Prep is ready for that."

"They aren't ready for us, period," Mal said, tracing the dragon seal on her mother's spell book. "And the sooner we leave, the better. I loathe to think what our other four classes will be like."

The door opened, causing all three in the room to snap their attention to the intruder. Carlos stepped into, carrying a bulking rucksack, and he closed the door behind him, an annoyed expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Evie asked, glancing at Mal as Jay sat upright.

"These classes are a joke," Carlos said as he brought his rucksack to the table, frowning as he opened it. "I could do most of the homework in my sleep, and safety rules for the internet? Please." His brow creased as he pulled out a laptop, opening it next to Evie. "Here, Evie, I've finished setting up the security component for your room. Just make sure this stays open and charged, and the room's protected." He pulled a cord out from his rucksack, handing it to Evie. 

"Where'd you get the chargers?" Mal asked, already glancing at Jay, who grinned.

Wincing, Carlos looked up, sheepish. "I asked Jay to get them this morning. We needed them for the security system..."

Rolling her eyes, Mal waved the topic away. "I'm not mad, relax. Just tell me you got somewhere with the wand."

Swallowing, Carlos nervously glanced down as he took out his laptop, opening it with shaking hands. "Well, about that..." He winced at his own words, not looking toward Mal. "The reason I set up security is because getting into the museum's system might take a little longer than expected..." He took a breath, bracing himself for Mal's reaction.

"Thought everything was a joke here," Jay commented lightly. Though, he glanced at Mal, gauging her reaction as well.

"The technological defense is a joke that lends itself all kind of breachable areas," Carlos corrected, quickly typing, brow creasing. "The security for the museum? There's magical elements, especially near magical artifacts," he continued, disapproving.

Evie sighed. "So is it like another barrier situation?" she asked, head tilted in thought. "You broke through the one over the island, so you can break through this one, right?"

"Especially since you have quality material to use for your machine," Jay quipped.

Mal studied Carlos, taking in the way his expression remained the same, brow creased with frustration. "Is it like the barrier?" Mal asked, her patience wearing thin. It's only been one day, she reminded herself, forcing herself to keep calm.

Carlos shrugged, nervous. "I'm not sure," he admitted, sending an apologetic glance Mal's way. "It's too soon to tell. I need to get better acquainted with the system. But it's my top priority," Carlos assured, swallowing.

She didn't like the thought of staying in Auradon any longer than necessary, but Mal also knew they couldn't rush into anything; she had Jay to thank for that. "As long as you're covering your tracks, fine." She moved next to him, giving his hair a ruffle. "Keep working, take your time, and be thorough. We'll deal."

What choice do we have, she thought as she gathered Evie and Jay, intending to go over their B Block schedules for tomorrow. She wouldn't rush Carlos, she'd even give him as much time as he needed, but Mal needed to make sure that adjusting to Auradon wouldn't cause any further problems for those she claimed as hers. 

———

Jay tried to keep from wincing as they walked over to the gym.

Beside him, Carlos was nothing but frowns, walking with his hands in his pockets, barely paying attention to anyone or anything around them, Jay included.

It wasn't exactly Jay's fault. If anyone was to blame, it should have been the Fairy Godmother, as she was the one who _encouraged_ them to try out for the stupid sport; she was the one who misread the situation.

Carlos had been tense that morning — a combination of being in Auradon and figuring out the wand situation, Jay had guessed — so Jay did what he normally did to ease Carlos' tension: he got rough with him. Roughhousing always worked wonders because it allowed Carlos' brain to shut off for a few minutes, giving him much needed time to recharge. It was something Jay picked up on early in their arrangement.

Of course, he sort of forgot where he was, and the Fairy Godmother interrupting them was a surprise to both Jay and Carlos.

"This sucks," Carlos muttered, shoulders slumping as they got closer to the gym. "I don't even know what tourney is."

"Ditto," Jay said, and he could only hope that the sport let him hit something.

His mood worsened when he made out Ben's form standing vigilance at the gym's doors. Please don't tell me... Jay thought, unable to hold back a wince when Ben looked their way.

"Hey, guys!" Ben called when he noticed them approaching, smiling as he walked to meet them. "I heard you were thinking about trying out for the team, so I've made arrangements." He was still dressed to the nines, still too clean and bright for Jay's tastes.

Jay couldn't see this guy tussling anything on him, let alone deigning to play some stupid sport with guys beneath him in status.

"More like forced to," Carlos muttered, and Jay had to hold in his smirk at Carlos' sour expression. "Isn't it too late to join?"

"Not at all," Ben said cheerfully. "It might be midseason, but if you wanted, I'm sure you'll make the team with enough time to play." He gestured to the locker room. "Can I show you around?" 

"Gonna dress us too?" Jay couldn't help but ask, already annoyed with Ben's smile today, and he resolutely ignored the subtle glare Carlos sent his way.

Instead of being offended, Ben just laughed. "No, I'll leave that to you. But if you do need any assistance with the gear, just let me know. I'll be on the other end of the room changing as well." He smiled again, and it annoyed Jay even more that Ben didn't even sound pervy when saying potentially pervy things.

Ben, oblivious to Jay's attitude, led them to a pair of lockers and tapped on the doors. "You can use these for the tryouts, and when you make the team, they're yours." Smiling again, so sure that they'd do well enough to be on the same team as he was, Ben clapped both of them on the shoulder as he gave them a little nod. "See you out there." And with that, he left for his own locker, smiling all the while.

Jay clenched his jaw. "He really pisses me off," he muttered, keeping mind to be quiet in case the good prince was listening to them.

Snorting, Carlos shrugged. "I don't know about pissing," he said just as quietly, "but he does give off a weird vibe." There was a slight frown to his lips as he opened his locker, blinking at the contents. "What is this?" he asked as he pulled out... whatever it was, a type of padded shirt. "Some kind of armor?" His frown deepened as he glanced at Jay.

Shrugging, Jay opened his own locker, something like giddiness fluttering in his gut as he inspected the gear. "Who the fuck knows, let's just put it on so we can get this over with." He, too, had a padded shirt type thing, so Jay ruled out the possibility that they thought Carlos was weak enough to need assistance. Maybe the whole team wore them?

"You don't have to tell me twice," Carlos said, matter-of-fact, but it was clear from his expression that he had no idea how to wear what was in his locker as he pulled out different articles of clothing.

Trial and error never failed before, Jay thought as he tugged off his vest and shirt before pulling out the plain white shirt in the locker, figuring it was better to start with the simple things first. He paused, though, when his eyes fell on a particular piece of clothing. "The fuck is this?" he asked, holding up the weirdass garment.

"Is... that supposed to be underwear?" Carlos asked, nose scrunched up. "It'll only cover your junk, how is that comfortable?" He dug through his locker and found the same thing. "Seriously, what is this?"

"Everything all right?" Ben called, sounding close, sounding as if he was waiting behind the nearest lockers to give them their space.

"Are we trying out to be strippers?" Jay asked absentmindedly, still holding the piece of clothing, or lack thereof.

"What?" Ben asked, sounding lost. "Do you mind me coming over?"

"If it means you explaining things, no, I don't," Carlos answered for them, still frowning at what was in Jay's hands.

Sure enough, Ben, already changed and still looking pristine, appeared instantly from the nearest lockers, brow furrowed in confusion until his gaze landed on Jay's hands. "Oh, that." Incredibly, Ben's cheeks tinted pink, and Jay raised an eyebrow.

He didn't think anything could shake up the good prince. And now that he discovered something could, he wanted to use that.

"So," Jay said, dangling the garment in front of Ben, wanting to shake him up further, "are we strippers now?"

Ben laughed, clearly a nervous reaction as he cleared his throat. "No, no, it's nothing like that. That's a jockstrap. It's for, you know, it's for support while you're moving on the field."

"Support?" Carlos asked, nose still scrunched up, eying the so-called jockstrap with suspicion.

"So you're saying this isn't a sex thing?" Jay asked flatly, just to see how Ben would react, just to see if Jay could shake him up even more.

Cheeks getting redder, Ben shook his head. "No, not really, though, um, I'm sure some people would say otherwise, if they're into that sort of thing? Not that there's anything wrong with that! But it's intended purpose is for support and protection." He cleared his throat again, seemingly to stop his babbling.

It was difficult for Jay to hold in his smirk; he liked the good prince flustered, liked that it made him seem more... _human_. "So you have this on right now?" he asked, doing his best to be innocent with the question. He almost broke when he noticed how Carlos glanced at him.

"Yes," Ben said clearly despite the blush on his face. "The entire team wears them."

"So this isn't a joke?" Jay tried again, wondering if he could push the good prince into going that far. "This is legit and not a way to haze the villains?"

"Of course not!" Ben said earnestly, discomfort forgotten, and Jay inwardly cheered in victory.

"Then let's see it," he said simply, almost breaking character when Carlos shot him a look, eyes wide. He focused on being completely nonchalant, looking at Ben expectantly, and Jay wondered if the good prince would do it.

Ben blinked a little, and though his expression and bearing were calm, his cheeks darkened; he never broke eye contact with Jay. "Oh, sure..." He turned slightly, his hip pointed toward Jay as Ben dipped his fingers beneath the waistband of his shorts, pulling them just enough to see the band of the jockstrap and his bare skin underneath.

Grudgingly, Jay was impressed Ben had it in him.

So he nodded. "Okay, I believe you." Jay let his grin show then, unable to keep it in any longer, even with Carlos still throwing that subtle glare at him.

And then Ben did something that made Jay's mood sour: he smiled at him, practically _beaming_. "I'm glad," he said sincerely. "If you're uncomfortable with wearing it by itself, you can wear it over your underwear. Just know that it could get uncomfortable over time, and it'll restrict your movement."

Ben glanced at Carlos, trying to judge if he needed anything clarified as well, and Carlos dropped his glare to nod at Ben. "Thanks, I think we can manage everything else." Even as he said it, the way Carlos glanced at the gear could only be classified as wary.

"I can show you how to put on the gear," Ben offered, more than willing to get into Carlos' personal space.

"Just let us see yours," Jay answered before Carlos could, and once again he ignored Carlos' glare.

This time, Ben was much more open with taking his shirt off, and even though Jay had instructed him to simply let them look, Ben described the purpose of each piece of the uniform as well as went into detail on how to properly put it on, and it took all of Jay's restraint not to snap at Ben to shut up, especially every time he emphasized the fact that he didn't want them hurt.

"Once you get used to it, you don't even think about it," Ben finished as he pulled his shirt back on. "I'll leave you to it then. See you out there." He clapped them on the shoulder again and then left.

"Are you insane?" Carlos hissed once Ben was gone. "You just had to push the future king of Auradon!"

"What?" Jay asked, defensive. "It's his own fault for being so trusting." It's not like it was a proper prank anyway, he thought, sullen.

"Just because he pisses you off doesn't mean you can jeopardize our task," Carlos said hotly as he threw on the uniform. "If Mal knew, she'd be furious."

Frowning, Jay pulled on his uniform as well, trying not to pay any mind to the way his gut _twisted_ at Carlos' tone, trying to ignore the _low_ blow of Carlos bringing Mal's approval into the picture. What the hell.

"Jay, what's going on with you?" Carlos questioned, his focus on Jay even though his fingers were deftly buckling and snapping things into place — it wasn't surprising, seeing as you only had to tell Carlos something once for him to get it. "You're usually not _this_ hotheaded. Get your shit together and lay off Ben," he said, sounding almost like a command, before Carlos shifted his entire attention onto the uniform.

He couldn't believe his ears. Jay had never heard Carlos defend someone else, defend a total stranger, before, especially not from a little harmless mischief. What he made Ben do wasn't even that _bad_ , so why had Carlos pitched a fit?

(Jay didn't want to think about the nagging little voice, a voice that sounded too much like Jafar's, reminding Jay that he'd never be able to compete with someone like Ben, that he was damaged and fucked up and altogether wrong for someone like Carlos, even for someone like Evie and Mal.)

Not trusting his voice, barely trusting his hands, Jay focused on gearing up for the stupid tryouts. This better let me hit something, he thought as he snapped his padding on a little too roughly, refusing to let himself look at Carlos.

—

It was unlike anything he'd ever felt, and Jay liked to believe he experienced a lot of things.

But being on the tourney field, running across it, charging into the other players, dodging their lame excuse for dragon fire, it felt like a rush he'd rarely experienced, felt like being consumed, and he put up no fight, just let instinct take over, let himself go in a way he'd rarely allowed.

Pouring his frustrations and concerns into his movements, Jay barely registered Carlos' voice; his entire focus was on getting the dumb ball into the stupid net, and though he thought the concept was so basic, it was far from boring.

It felt like he belonged somewhere, that he could be something.

A whistle blow broke whatever spell the game had over him, and Jay blinked, looking from the carnage on the field to the coach calling him. Shaking off the euphoria, he jogged over to the coach, unable to stop the grin as he looked at the other players struggling to get back on their feet (it didn't even bother him that Ben had placed his hand on Carlos' shoulder).

"What do you call that?" the coach asked him, expression stern enough to make Jay's grin disappear.

Great, pissed off yet another person today, he thought as he simply stared at the coach, unflinching, because Jay would be damned — more than he already was — if he'd take anything without a fight.

But then the coach smiled wide, showing teeth even, and Jay was floored. "I call that raw talent," the coach said, still smiling. "Come find me later. I'll show you something you haven't seen before. It's called a rule book." He laughed, leaning in to give Jay two pats to the shoulder. "Welcome to the team, son."

_Son._

A knot tightened in Jay's gut at the word, at how it was so casually thrown out there, so casually applied to _him_ , and his heart hammered in his chest at how the coach looked at him with something that looked suspiciously like pride. For doing nothing but muscling his way across the field.

Jay was struck speechless, and he didn't know what to do; he felt pinned by the coach's look. Thankfully, the coach turned his attention on someone else, allowing Jay to _breathe_ , and Jay followed his gaze.

Which happened to be focused on Carlos.

"You ever thought about band?" Coach asked, eyebrow raised as he sized Carlos up, obviously less than impressed.

And Jay had to let out a chuckle, his nerves no longer as frazzled, because the only instruments that Carlos was interested in were scientific ones.

"I'll work with him, Coach," Ben said, resting a hand on Carlos' shoulder.

And all the humor in Jay died at the way Ben's hand stayed on Carlos' shoulder, at the way Carlos didn't brush it off.

"All right," Coach said with a shrug, apparently accepting the fact that the good prince didn't want to exclude an islander. He turned to the team, nodding his head. "Let's run that again." He blew the whistle.

The sound was like a trigger, opening the gate for that same euphoric feeling as before, and Jay grinned, clapping his hands in his eagerness to get back out there, to experience that rush again.

As he turned for the field, Jay came face to face with another boy, a boy with the most unrestrained look of disgust Jay had seen yet. He didn't need to be intelligent to see how low this boy thought him to be, how unworthy, and his expression only made Jay all the more eager to beat him on the field.

Get ready to eat dirt, little prince, Jay thought as he roughly bumped shoulders with the boy, barely sparing him a second look. He'd let his actions on the field speak for themselves.

—

As he walked back into the locker room, Jay tried to hold in his smirk at how the other players groaned and thanked whatever higher power they believed in that they could take showers and _leave_. Jay hadn't felt this relaxed, nor this proud, since he traded Mal that broach for that vase all those years ago, and he opened his locker with a grin.

I probably should apologize to Carlos, though, he thought as he began stripping. He hadn't meant to get so into the game, but Jay couldn't help himself. It was like the first time he was exposed to magic; it made him feel drunk, feel powerful, and so he got carried away.

He had most of his gear off and stripped down to his shorts by the time he saw Carlos walking his way, and Jay almost called out to the boy, but he noticed that Carlos was already talking to someone, talking to _Ben_. Mood diving downward into a sour jealousy, Jay watched as Carlos _smiled_ for Ben. Sure, it wasn't a big smile, and, hell, it might not even have qualified as a smile here in Auradon, but Carlos was smiling nonetheless.

And Ben, Ben who still looked too bright and pristine despite the sweat and the dirt on him and his uniform, Ben smiled back, smiled warmer than he had at any of them, at any of the Auradonians, and he leaned a little too close into Carlos, and Carlos didn't lean away.

Jay's gut churned.

He blinked, and it was all too easy to picture Ben leaning in for a kiss, to picture Carlos rising up to meet him, to picture them getting lost in each other's lips and touch and presence, to picture Ben just backing Carlos into a wall, to picture Ben picking Carlos up, Carlos wrapping his legs around Ben, rutting against each other, not a care in the world that wasn't each other.

Jay blinked again and, in his anger and frustration and _hurt_ , punched his locker closed, so hard the metal dented, so hard that the metal dented and broke his skin, leaving little smears of blood in his furious wake.

"Jay?" came Carlos' call.

Fuck, Jay thought as he stared at his knuckles, at the blood, and he felt something close to panic well up in his throat. Mal had said to keep a low profile, to not draw attention to themselves, and he had to go bloodying up lockers. "Yeah?" he answered Carlos, answered because he knew it'd make things worse if he ignored everything, and he turned around, bracing himself as he kept his hand out of sight.

Carlos' brow was creased as he looked at the locker. "Jay, what happened?" he asked, sounding worried, concerned, all attention on Jay and the locker, and while that should have made Jay content, it did the opposite.

"Nothing, really," Jay said lamely, trying not to give too much away, especially since Ben, who was now _frowning_ , was still standing beside Carlos.

Great, now the good prince is gonna sing a different tune, Jay thought, annoyed. But also _not_. If Ben saw Jay as he truly was, if Ben wanted to pick a fight now, Jay would be more than happy to oblige; he'd prefer that to all of Ben's smiles.

Ben, though, didn't seem to be upset with _Jay_. "Don't worry, Jay," he said, confusing Jay with his soft tone and firm words. "I'll see to it that whoever did this is held accountable for their actions."

"What," Jay said flatly, incredulous. Ben couldn't possibly think that someone _else_ punched a dent in his locker, could he? He wouldn't possibly think someone _else_ , someone on his team that he knew far longer than he'd known Jay, was responsible for the violent act, could he?

"It isn't your fault you're naturally good at tourney," Ben continued, placing a hand on Jay's shoulder. "No one should be jealous of that. I'll make sure something like this doesn't happen again, okay?" Ben smiled, his words filled with promise, and he squeezed Jay's shoulder a little before letting go, turning to Carlos as he did. "So tomorrow then?"

Carlos blinked, seemingly to realize that Ben was still there, and he nodded. "Tomorrow." He watched Ben leave before focusing his gaze back on Jay. "Let me see your hand," he said quietly.

"What for?" Jay asked, skin feeling too hot, too tight, the epicenter of the warmth on his shoulder where Ben had touched. He needed to get to the showers so he could get out of there.

"Let me see your hand," Carlos repeated, much firmer, and he actually reached for his hand.

Fuck, don't look, don't see, it's nothing, it's _nothing_ , Jay thought desperately, somehow without the strength to keep Carlos away from him, somehow powerless in the presence of Carlos' fierce expression.

Carlos pulled Jay's hand toward him, turning it over to examine his knuckles, and stared.

So did Jay, the breath knocked out of him.

His knuckles were fine. No broken skin, no blood, not even a slight bruise.

Oh fuck me, I used magic again, Jay thought, _lamented_ , as he stared at his hand, as he stared at Carlos staring at his hand. He didn't even feel it that time, didn't feel any pull or tightening in the air, and yet his hand was as good as new. Dread in his stomach, Jay berated himself, scolding himself that he needed to be more vigilant with the blasted magic.

Carlos traced his knuckles, the action snapping Jay out of his thoughts, and Carlos' brow creased slightly, like he couldn't believe what he was touching, and that only served to twist the dread in Jay's gut.

"Jay!" Coach called, startling them both. "See me after showers."

Thanking Allah for the distraction, Jay cleared his throat. "Better get changed, Carlos," he said, taking his hand away. He pried open his locker, silently thanking whatever controlled his magical impulses for leaving the blasted dent intact, and continued stripping, modesty lost on him as he hurried to get in the showers and far away from this place.

"Don't wait up," he muttered as he left, feeling Carlos' eyes burning his back as he went.

———

Mal sat in the library, amazed that no one was breathing down her neck as she pulled book out after book, no one paying her any mind as she moved to and fro within the shelves, everyone else too immersed in their own research.

With a sigh, she closed yet another book, having skimmed its contents, deciding it was worth little to her. All of these volumes, and not one held anything of importance about the wand. Mal was ready to scream, library rules be damned.

She should have waited for Carlos or Evie, as they would know what to look for better than she did. Evie, who had spent her isolation doing nothing but reading, would have been able to decipher the organizational codes that cataloged every book, and Carlos, who was a genius in practically every way except maybe social skills, could have gotten into the computer system, perhaps giving her access to tomes unavailable to the public.

But no, Evie and Carlos were not with her. Who knew where Evie was, and Carlos was at some type of sports thing thanks to Jay. Mal huffed out a frustrated sigh.

Wait, she thought, blinking at her own foolishness. She grabbed her mother's spell book and flipped through its contents, making sure there was nothing in its text that could aid her before she tried anything else. Like she expected, it yielded nothing; the spell book wasn't for this kind of use.

Taking a deep breath, Mal closed her eyes, let herself feel the magic in the air, so abundant that she couldn't see how _anyone_ could miss it, and she reached out, physically and mentally, asking for guidance, asking for that magic to lead her to a book that could aid her task.

Mal opened her eyes at the rush and swirl of the changing atmosphere, watched as her hand moved on its own, leading her to another section, leading her to a specific tome. _The Reign of Goodness_. Trying not to sneer at the title, Mal removed it from the shelf, opening it and letting the pages fall how they wanted, how the magic wanted.

The subtitle of whatever chapter she was in read _And so Ever After Begins..._ and Mal refrained from rolling her eyes as she sat down on the floor and began reading.

> Adam François de Damas, Sovereign Prince of his Principality, proposed unto the summit a notion that would henceforth free the lands from the tyranny and unjust ways of those who resort to baser villainy: if God favor them, and should He see fit the allowance, may the Oathkeeper, a tool of awesome magical might, wand of the Fairy Godmother, purveyor of goodness and compassion, be the beacon of light that dissipates the dark, and sends it to one such place that is removed from the lands, encasing and containing Evil for as long as goodness remains Good.

"Who _wrote_ this shit," Mal muttered aloud, unable to keep from sneering at the text, taking another breath to continue. The magic had led her to this book, so there had to be more information for her use. 

> With such a proposal laid bare before all present royalty and nobility, the unanimous decision to unite their kingdoms under one banner rang out strong and clear, and equally unanimous was the vote to elect Adam François de Damas, Sovereign Prince of his Principality, as High King over the newly conceived United Sovereignties of Auradon. At the imploring behest of the summit, and with the encouragement and support from the Lady Belle de Fleury, his fair and graceful bride-to-be, Adam François de Damas, Sovereign Prince of his Principality, humbly accepted the High Crown, and so with the mark of the wedding that would join the houses of Damas and Fleury, the United Sovereignties of Auradon was truly borne, and through that marriage, the Lady Belle de Fleury, now Princess Belle Fleury de Damas, ascended to the title of Queen Consort. And such was the graciousness of newly crowned High King

"Graciousness, my ass," Mal muttered, pausing to rest her eyes from the filth she was reading. Taking a breath, she continued, but this time, she was much more interested in the words on the page.

> And such was the graciousness of the newly crowned High King, Adam François de Damas, Sovereign Prince of his Principality and King of Kings, gave yet one more proposal: that the title of High King be kept as an elective state, the candidates to which would be chosen from the next prominent generation, as a way to improve and expand the outlook of the newly formed United Sovereignties of Auradon, so that it may not be limited by one so instilled in one's way of life. The candidates would undergo proper instruction as expected of their class, and would also be instructed in all manners of education under the watchful and knowing eye of the Fairy Godmother at the old Southern Castle of Good Fortune, henceforth to be known as the Auradon Institute for the Preparation and Betterment of the Future. 

Mal sat in silence as she stared at the page. Auradon Prep was literally opened as a place for spawn of the royalty and nobility to learn to rule, to govern. Its students were the offspring of not only kings and queens, but of lords and of ladies, of knights and of duchesses, of any person whose status meant anything.

What the hell are we doing here, she thought, stomach sinking. There were other schools in Auradon, schools for the common folk, for the everyday citizen, schools where their presence would not disturb anyone, where the circumstance of their birth and their parentage would not be so personally offending. And yet... They were placed in Auradon Prep.

"Mal!"

Mal startled, her head snapping up to see Evie approaching with a pout on her face, and Mal scolded her heart for racing at the intrusion. "What is it, E?" she asked once Evie was close enough, wondering if she should bring this new information to the group.

Evie plopped — well, plopped in the sense that only Evie could make plopping look like a graceful flutter — down next to her and sighed. "I haven't found one prince who isn't taken by some little princess. This isn't fair. How can I seduce someone who's spoken for without causing a scene," Evie all but whined, leaning into Mal.

Snorting, Mal shrugged, ignoring the discontented hum from Evie. "Usually I'd be all for stealing someone's so-called affections, but we have to blend in," Mal reminded, even though she herself didn't like it one bit. The strain it took to keep her hand from brandishing her knife was exhausting. "Besides, given where we are, I'm more than sure there's a prince here for you."

Evie leaned back, studying her, her eyes taking in everything about Mal.

Mal hated that, hated it because she knew Evie was going to find whatever she was looking for. For someone who was kept isolated, Evie had remarkable insight.

"What's happened?" Evie asked, confirming Mal's thoughts.

Silently, Mal placed the book in Evie's lap, pointing to the passages she had read, and waited while Evie devoured the words.

After a few seconds, Evie looked at Mal with wide eyes. "So Auradon Prep literally functions to groom the next rulers of Auradon?"

Mal wrinkled her nose. "Yes. How did you get through that filth so fast?"

Sheepish, Evie shrugged. "The books in my mother's castle were mostly written like this. Something about the grandiose language of royals." She glanced down at the book again, a crease to her brow. "What does this mean for us?"

Mal shrugged. In truth, she had no idea what it meant, but she had asked the magical flow of the land to provide her with information, and this was the information it provided. It had to have meant something. "I'd understand why you would come here, but the rest of us?"

Evie smiled, tight and almost unnatural. "My mother has no royal status here, remember?"

"That's horseshit and you know it," Mal said, perhaps a little too vehemently, but it just infuriated her every time she remembered Audrey's words, every time she remembered Evie's _expression_.

"I _do_ know it," Evie said quietly, even though her tone was unsure. Her eyes traveled down to the open page in her lap, and she pointed at the words — or rather, a specific word. "See this?" she asked, letting Mal read the word above her finger: _Principality_. "This means that King Adam wasn't a royal ruling over a kingdom; he only ruled over an estate, and he might not even be from a royal line."

"What," Mal said flatly.

Evie nodded, serious. "It's a very real possibility. The title Sovereign Prince of his Principality could mean that he's the son of a lessor royal or he's simply a noble who was appointed to govern the estate given to him by a monarch. You'd have to see his family line to know for certain."

"If he _is_ just a small noble, I'll be even more pissed that he's running all of Auradon," Mal said, anger welling up inside of her. How could they let someone _lesser_ , someone who didn't have ruling in the blood, make any decision for the whole land of Auradon?

(How could they let him create the island?)

"Elected high king," Evie murmured, her fingers tracing random words on the page. "And Queen Belle! Once nothing more than a mere commoner, now a queen consort! Can you imagine?"

"I don't want to imagine," Mal said sullenly, her dislike for Auradon, for this school, growing by the minute. "How is it that Ben is ascending the throne?" she asked after a moment's silence.

Evie shrugged. "It says that the High Crown is still an elected title, which means that Ben must have been chosen as the new high king. I'm not sure how they decide... Perhaps he passed whatever tests needed to determine the new high king?" She tilted her head, blinking thoughtfully. "Have you read his first proclamation?"

Mal shook her head. She didn't want to know what kind of pomp and filth the good prince spewed. She didn't trust him, didn't trust his words or his acts or his decrees. Evie could do that if she wanted, but Mal wanted nothing to do with whatever good deed the good prince thought he was doing.

"Why are you in the library?" Evie asked, and she wasn't even trying to hide her change in topic.

Mal figured she was projecting too much, and she took back the book with a sigh. "Trying to see if there's anything on wands in this place. Maybe something will give us a clue on how to complete our task."

Biting her lip, Evie stared in space for a moment. Then, she got out her magic mirror from her makeup box and placed it on the ground. "Magic mirror on the ground, where can a book on wands be found?"

"How useful that thing is," Mal murmured as she watched with interest as the mirror's face swirled for a moment before stilling on a shelf filled to capacity with books. She blinked down at the image, now crystal clear, before looking around, trying not to be too frantic with her search. Impossible, she thought.

"Mal?" Evie asked, watching her carefully.

"I've combed this library," she said, feeling a frown tugging on her lips. "I've never seen a shelf like that."

Evie bit her lip again, gazing down at the image in the mirror. "Where could this be then?" She gasped in surprise, alarming Mal, and she held up her mirror. "Look!"

Looking into the mirror, Mal found a new image, one showing a vault with a small label titled _Restricted_. While the image didn't bode well, Mal couldn't help but ask, "How did you find this? There was no rhyme."

"I don't know, I guess there doesn't need to be one," Evie answered, brow creased. She held up the mirror and took a breath. "Where is this restricted vault?" She blinked, and a smile grew as she showed Mal the swirling surface. "It doesn't need to rhyme!"

"Fantastic," Mal said, distracted as she took hold of Evie's hand, studying the mirror's image. "This just shows the library, and I've never seen a place that could hold a vault like that."

"Magic mirror, where is the vault located within the library?" she asked, and she held her breath as the surface changed once more. Evie blinked. "It's... It's in the Fairy Godmother's office." She watched a little longer before she let out a sigh. "Right beneath the painting behind her desk is a type of keypad lock."

"It's tech?" Mal asked, mind already making a note to get Carlos to look into it when he's finished cracking the museum's security.

"I don't know..." Evie admitted, laying the mirror in her lap. "If it is, Carlos could probably find it with ease."

Mal only nodded, mind too preoccupied with the fact that Fairy Godmother kept things hidden away. Her words of _don't focus on the past or you'll miss the future_ echoed in Mal's mind, and she had to restrain herself from scoffing. Without the past, there'd be no future, and besides, the Fairy Godmother herself contradicted her words whenever she droned on and on about the history of Auradon.

"Why do you need that book?" Evie asked quietly. "Carlos is still working on the museum, right?"

"It's in case Carlos _can't_ get in," Mal said, running a hand through her hair. "Fuck, I just want to cut something." She'd be able to tolerate this place a lot more if she could let some tension out. Now she was actually envying Jay and Carlos' involvement with sports.

Evie laughed, though she tried covering it up with a cough. "Sorry," she said, wincing a little. "It's just... I think the only one who isn't really bothered by this place is Carlos." A wry smile graced her lips.

Shaking her head, Mal let out a huff of amusement. "Funny how that works," she said as she let her head fall back onto the shelves. "If it weren't for his clothes, I'd think he'd blend right in. Best sleeper agent in the world."

Evie laughed again, leaning against Mal, resting her head on Mal's shoulder. "He doesn't have to look over his shoulders as much here. If people don't bother him, he forgets people exist. It's the reason I sat by him when I returned to Dragon Hall," she said fondly, sighing at the memory. "He looked almost offended that I invaded his bubble."

Mal snorted. "It was amusing to watch," Mal conceded, allowing herself to smirk at the memories. "When he wasn't getting pushed into lockers, he looked like he was in his own world."

Evie glanced up at Mal, humming thoughtfully. "Even before the arrangement?"

Shrugging, Mal gave a nod. "Like you said. If people don't bother him, he forgets they exist."

Evie hummed again. "Maybe not completely," she began, her fingers tracing the patterns on Mal's jeans, "he knew about the rumors in the hallways, after all."

"I think Jay put it best," Mal said, remembering Jay's words the day after Mal claimed Carlos, remembering the way Jay tried to defend that choice. "If he doesn't think it's worth his time or benefits him in anyway, Carlos doesn't pay any mind."

Evie chuckled. "Sounds right. The other day, I caught Doug trying to talk to Carlos about something concerning laptops, and Carlos basically just stared at him. You should have seen the way Doug retreated."

"The Dwarf kin doesn't know when to give up, just like the good little prince," Mal said with a roll of her eyes. "I only tolerate them because one's good for information and the other's the king-to-be."

Evie sighed. "What I wouldn't give to have Ben," she said, leaning up to deliver a kiss to Mal's neck. "The power of being queen consort! Bet that would please my mother."

At the mention of Grimhilde, both girls became sober, though Mal guessed Evie's doing so was different from her own. Mal still felt outrage on Evie's behalf, and she swore that the moment they break the barrier, the moment she saw Grimhilde again, Mal would utter a spell that would ensure nothing, no power on Earth or Hell, would allow Grimhilde to ever be beautiful again.

Not punishment enough, she thought as she took in Evie's downcast expression, as she took in the slight crease of Evie's worried brow.

"You'll have him," Mal said, tilting Evie's chin up and placing a kiss to her lips. "After we get the wand, I'll give him to you as a gift, title and all." Mal smirked as she brushed her thumb over Evie's lips, liking the way Evie shivered. She'd give Evie all of Auradon, if she could. Mal was sure her mother wouldn't mind Mal gifting the son of the man who imprisoned her to Evie.

"What if I want more than a trophy husband?" Evie whispered, licking her lips, pressing closer.

"Ask, and you'll have it," Mal said, glancing around to make sure no one was near. "Since I know no one, prince or otherwise, can please you like I can." She kissed Evie again, kept kissing her even as her hand traveled beneath Evie's skirt.

" _Mal_ ," Evie breathed out, her hand grasping Mal's arm, like she wanted Mal to stop. "Mal, we're in—"

"You want it just the same," Mal whispered in her ear, nipping the earlobe, feeling Evie shiver.

A low, quiet moan escaped Evie, and her grip on Mal's arm tightened. Instead of pushing her away, though, Evie brought her closer, her eyes so dark that Mal might have gotten lost in them.

But she had a task to do, and Mal always saw her tasks completed.

"Oh fuck," Evie whined as Mal dipped her fingers beneath Evie's panties, and she kept making delicious little noises as Mal's fingers stroked her lips, giving the briefest of brushes over her clit.

"I'm going to make you come right here," Mal murmured into Evie's ear, blood quickening at how wet Evie already was.

"Oh please," Evie moaned, a hand at her mouth, trying to muffle the sounds she made, her hips rolling into Mal's hand.

Mal simply watched her, watched Evie pant and shudder, come undone with only her fingers, watched as Evie, as fleeting as it was, glanced around again to make sure they were alone before giving herself over to Mal.

She could have uttered the spell that would give them freedom from any unwanted attention, just like she had done with Carlos, but Mal didn't want that, not after seeing the way Evie _shook_ , panting so wantonly, her grip on Mal's arm tight enough to bruise.

"You like this, don't you, like the fact that anyone can walk right by and see you like this," Mal breathed out, finding Evie's clit rock-hard, and she circled around it with the pads of two fingers. "You want them to see you, want them to know exactly who you belong to."

The groan that escaped Evie was a thing of _beauty_ , Evie's face flushed as she gazed at Mal with wide, pupil blown eyes, and she bit the back of her hand, as her breathy little moans increased, as the pace of her rocking increased, her body tightening.

"You're going to come, come all over my fingers and your panties, and you're going to wear your wetness with pride," Mal ordered, breathy herself, as she'd never seen Evie get so worked up so fast. "Gonna feel me in you each time you move, each time you sit," she said, feeling her eyes flashing at the thought, fucking Evie hard and fast with two fingers, the pad of her hand rubbing hard against Evie's clit. "Tonight, I'll eat you out until you _beg_ me to stop."

Evie went rigid, and the cry she made was muffled by Mal's lips, was swallowed by a deep, passionate, lingering kiss as Mal stroked Evie through her orgasm, her other hand petting Evie's hair.

As Evie's breathing returned to normal, Mal regained her senses, and she cursed herself for losing control like that. Hadn't she told the others to lay low? Fucking in the library was the exact opposite of that, and Mal scanned the area, letting her magic reach out, making sure they were indeed alone and that no one had witnessed their little moment.

_That bodily hunger doesn't fully entice you, correct?_

Maleficent's words hung in the air, and Mal winced. It might not fully entice, but it entices just _enough_ , she thought, berating herself for yet another weakness that Maleficent could hold against her.

Already holds, she corrected herself as she pulled her hand from Evie. Because there was no doubt in Mal's mind that Maleficent just _knew_ , that somehow, like the decree, she just knew the extent of Mal's weakness, probably more so than Mal did herself.

It angered her, but her anger was quieted when Evie let out a content hum, gazing at Mal like she was the world.

Eyebrow raised, Mal brought her fingers to her lips, licking Evie's slick off of them, and she held back a smirk as Evie groaned again.

"You're playing dirty," Evie murmured, a spark to her eyes as she shifted.

"I admit nothing," Mal said, letting her amusement show. "Besides, you like getting wet from me."

A small whine escaped Evie's throat as she shifted some more, and she bit her lip. "Mal..."

Shaking her head, Mal stood up. The library proper held nothing of importance to her, so she deemed it useless. "Time to wear that wetness with pride," she said as she offered Evie her hand.

Despite the pout she wore, Evie took Mal's hand with ease. "If I do, tonight...?" she asked, letting her words trail as she gazed at Mal through her eyelashes, expression hopeful.

"I don't go back on my word," Mal said, smirking, and she let her eyes flash emerald the briefest of seconds, just to show how much of a true statement that was.

Biting her lip, Evie nodded, and she gathered her mirror and bag, swaying her hips slightly at the feeling of being wet.

Mal smirked. Tonight would indeed take both of their minds off of everything, and she was looking forward to it just as much as Evie was.

———

Jay held in a sigh as he made his way to the bleachers.

The morning had not been kind to him. First, he'd accidentally hit Carlos when Carlos shook him awake from his nightmare — of Jafar, of two Jafars, the one he knew all his life and the one he saw at the museum — and when he'd tried to make sure it wasn't anything serious, Carlos simply said that he'd received worse.

So he started the day in a foul mood, which remedial goodness didn't help alleviate.

(It only served to remind Jay just how far gone he was from saving, how he'd never be worthy of those he tried to protect, how he could barely resist the decadent temptation of magic and releasing his inner sin.)

His B Block classes had proved to be as dull as his A Block, and the only thing that kept him sane during the long hours, besides meeting Evie or Mal in the bathroom for one of the best handjobs of his life, was the fact that he'd be on the tourney field afterwards, hitting and shoving other people out of his way.

(It's only been three days and already you're missing the darkness, a little voice, much too like Jafar's, whispered in his head, and Jay just threw himself harder into tourney practice.)

And for the majority of practice, it worked: he forgot everything that wasn't on that field; he even made sure to follow the rules most of the time. But then Ben got a little too close to Carlos, a hand lingering a little too long on Carlos' back or shoulder, and Jay felt his mood worsening, and he channeled his frustrations into his body, shoving both the team members playing on his side and not.

"Jay!" Coach had yelled after blowing his whistle, a frown on his face. "See me after showers!"

Which brought him here, trudging toward the bleachers, to where the Coach sat, elbows on his knees and hands clasped together, a towel or cloth resting on his shoulders.

He wanted to be anywhere else, especially since Carlos and Ben hadn't gone to the locker room after practice ended; Jay had to watch Ben lead Carlos away, to spend some one on one time getting Carlos used to the game, and all Jay could think of was Ben letting Carlos get used to something _else_ entirely.

"Jay," Coach called, breaking Jay's thoughts, and he waved Jay over, patting the space on the bleacher next to him, smiling when Jay sat. "I didn't really say it the other day, but I could really use a tough guy like you," he began, a grin forming on his lips. "The team's a bunch of princes, if you know what I mean."

Jay couldn't help but snort. "You don't have to tell me. Most have probably never gotten physical in their life," he said, and it stung to say, oddly, so Jay pushed through it. "Shoulda spent a summer on the island. They'd be better at tourney after having to dodge beatings or fighting to prevent the guy next to you from slitting your throat." He noticed the frown on Coach's face, but he just couldn't stop talking. "They'd learn real quick to fend for themselves if they didn't want anything broken or dismembered."

Coach coughed, brow creased as he regarded Jay thoughtfully. "Jay, let me explain a team," he said, placing his hand on Jay's shoulder, squeezing slightly. "Uh, it's like a family."

A family, his mind echoed, and with a blink of his eye, Jay was back in his father's shop, kneeling before that armchair, looking up as his father smirked. In another blink, Jay saw himself kneeling in front of a different chair, the chair in Coach's office.

 _Like a family, son,_ Coach would say as he caressed Jay's ear, and Jay swallowed, knowing he'd never be able to escape this fate, knowing that he might not even _want_ to.

"Okay, okay!" Coach said quickly, forcing Jay back to the present, to the present where Coach was putting distance between them, a concerned expression on his face as he stared at Jay with slightly wide eyes.

Shit, did I say something, Jay thought, swallowing his nerves down, and he wondered what he must have looked like just then to make the Coach change directions.

"Um, okay..." Coach said, out of his depth for a second before his eyebrows rose slightly, telling Jay that something had clicked in Coach's head. "You know how a body has a Lot of different parts? The legs, elbows, ears, the heart. They all need each other to reach a certain goal. Well, that's what a team is: different players who work together to win. Make any sense?"

Of course it makes sense, I'm not stupid, he thought, but he figured it wasn't wise to say that aloud. Instead, he said, "So you want me to be the fist?" He could do that, would probably prefer it to any other body part. Wasn't much else he was good for anyway.

A frown tugged at the corners of Coach's mouth, and he pulled the cloth off of his shoulder, unfolding it and holding it front of Jay.

And Jay stared.

A blue jersey with a large number eight on it, above the number was Jay's name. It took Jay a stupidly long moment to realize what he was seeing was a tourney uniform, one worn during official games instead of the practices he'd been attending.

"I want you to be part of this team," Coach said after a few seconds of Jay staring at the jersey, and Coach handed it to Jay, resting his hand on Jay's shoulder again. "I know you'll be a great addition, son."

Jay took in a breath as he gripped the jersey tighter, and he tried to calm his nerves. "I'll see what I can do," he said, voice a little rougher than he intended, because if he didn't say _something_ the expression on Coach's face, the tone of voice he used when he spoke the word _son_ , would have consumed Jay.

Coach smiled, nodding a little. "That's all I ask, Jay." He gave Jay's shoulder two gentle pats as he stood up. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. Go back to your dorm and rest." Waving a little, Coach walked away.

Jay sat there for a few seconds longer before he stood up abruptly. He made his way off of the bleachers, off of the tourney field, and he just walked, not caring where he went. He just needed to think, to breathe, to keep _moving_.

If he didn't, the darkness inside of him, the vice and the sin, would take over. Because he was weak, because all he wanted to do was use magic to simply... go away.

So he walked, trying to stay one step ahead of everything wrong with him, cursing Auradon for not letting him fight or steal to quiet the demons raging in his head.

———

Carlos should know by now that luck was never on his side.

When the day began, he'd hoped that Ben would have forgotten about their little tourney meet up, that his position as soon-to-be king would take precedence over helping the scum of the island with a stupid sport.

But as luck was never on his side, Ben — as soon as Coach blew that whistle of his, signaling the end of practice — walked right over to Carlos with a smile and asked, "Ready for some one on one?" 

It should have annoyed him, but instead, Carlos was a little intrigued. After all, Ben had to have some sort of ulterior motive in his willingness to help; everyone else did when it came to Carlos, even those he'd claimed and who claimed him. 

(He didn't fault any of them for that, knew that Jay's motive tied into Jafar, that Mal's tied into Jay, that Evie's tied into herself. They lived on the island; everyone had ulterior motives. It just happened that theirs benefited Carlos, and he was fine with that.) 

He watched Ben roll his shoulder, saw Ben's gaze travel over to where Jay was walking to the locker room. "He packs quite the punch, doesn't he," Ben said as he rubbed his shoulder, a small smile to his lips, like the fact that Jay's brute strength wasn't something that could make him broken and bloody. 

"Most people wouldn't put it so politely," Carlos said flatly. He'd heard Jay referred to as every cuss word and insult in the book, especially by the people who were stupid enough to challenge him to a physical fight. Sometimes, broken and bloody was an understatement. 

Ben chuckled, shrugging off his padding. "He's on our team; I know he doesn't mean anything by it." 

Carlos merely stared. Do you really, he thought as he followed suit, wondering if Ben really was as oblivious as both Mal and Jay claimed him to be. 

He didn't get to dwell on it too much, as Ben thought getting in touch with the basics was the best way to begin Carlos' quest of mastering tourney. The good prince wanted to do sprints, so fine, Carlos would do some sprints. 

This is a waste of time, he thought as he got into starting position, awaiting Ben's gesture to begin. Carlos had never been the athletic type, and whatever physical feats he was capable of were only possible thanks to Jay's instruction, and _that_ was only possible because Jay was a great teacher (despite what he might think). 

He barely heard Ben give the okay, though, because he heard something else, something he feared, something he hoped he'd never hear: a bark.

A chill ran down his spine despite the warmth from the sun, and Carlos cast a glance over his shoulder to see what he dreaded: a dog. A dog running _toward_ him.

He'd never run so fast in his life as he ran from the field, ran into a wooded area, wondering if he could lose the dog in the trees. 

Vaguely aware of Ben calling his name, Carlos leapt for high ground, hoping the beast's legs weren't powerful enough to leap up into the tree with him and praying that this wouldn't be the last day of his life.

(He couldn't die, not now; he needed to help with the wand, needed to make sure Mal, Jay, and Evie succeeded in their task, needed to make sure they would be okay after it was completed, and he couldn't do that if he was in Hell.) 

"Carlos!" Ben called as he jogged up to them, jogged right up next to the dog barking at Carlos, the creature thankfully still on the ground and _not_ in the tree with him. "Carlos, what's wrong?" 

"This, this _thing_ is a killer!" Carlos yelled, unable to control his voice, his hands shaking so bad that he thought he might lose his grip. "It's a vicious pack animal, and it's gonna—it's gonna—" He gasped, recalling his mother's words, grasping at the tree so hard it hurt.

(He had nothing to skin the animal with, and he doubted Ben, being Auradonian, would appreciate him killing the beast in front of him, but Carlos would _not_ let the creature take him, _use_ him.)

"Carlos," Ben said, voice so calm, so soothing, despite standing next to a killing machine, "who told you that?" 

"My mother," he said, impatient and terrified

"Cruella?" Ben asked with a crease in his brow, speaking the name as if she wasn't a force to be reckoned with. 

"She's a dog expert," he explained, unnecessarily, and he might have let out a whimper when Ben bent over to pick the creature up. "Why are you holding it!? He's gonna—" Carlos gasped again, unable to even say it, not when faced with the actual creature, and though Carlos might be indifferent towards Ben, he didn't want the good prince to suffer being _fucked_ by the creature. 

"Carlos, you've never actually met a dog, have you?" Ben asked gently, petting the creature's head. 

"Of course not!" Carlos was a little offended; why would he willingly go searching for the things that haunt his nightmares? 

"Dude, meet Carlos," Ben said with a smile, holding up the creature a little. "Carlos, this is Dude. He's the campus mutt." 

Carlos stared blankly. What did Ben expect him to do? Just hop down and walk into the jaws of certain death? 

Slowly, the smile on Ben's face disappeared, and a seriousness settled over him. "Carlos, I promise you, on my life, Dude is not a vicious pack animal." He looked so earnest, petting the dog again for extra measure, showing Carlos that no matter where he touched the dog remained calm. "You're safe, I promise." A hint of a smile reappeared on his face. 

Swallowing, Carlos hesitantly climbed down, his heart racing all the while as he slowly inched his way next to Ben and... Dude? "It's not gonna do anything?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper. 

"He'll probably whine for you to pet him," Ben said, tone gentle and soothing once more, "but anything else, no, he won't. He's very docile." Hesitating only for a second, Ben held up Dude again. "Would... you like to hold him?" 

Heart racing, Carlos debated. Auradonians wouldn't be good at lying, right, for what use would they have for it when their lives weren't in danger? And the soon-to-be king, a guy who had up until this very moment done nothing but try to accommodate them, wouldn't be keen to see harm come to those who he vouched for, right? 

Taking a deep breath, Carlos nodded, holding his arms out with determination despite the fact that they shook. 

Ben didn't look quite convinced, but he gently placed Dude in Carlos' arms, keeping close until Carlos got settled before stepping back after giving Dude a pat to the head. 

It felt weird, holding something he'd dream would either rip his throat out at first sight or wait till after it fucked him first. With a shaking hand, and making sure Ben was close, Carlos copied Ben's earlier motion of petting Dude's head. 

And nothing happened. 

Breathing a little easier, Carlos whispered, "You're not gonna rip my throat out, are you?" At his words, the dog huffed, and Carlos took that as a no... for now. 

"Life really was pretty rough on the island, huh?" Ben said after a few seconds, and for the first time, Carlos saw something akin to pain on the prince's face. 

He didn't even see that when Jay knocked into him on the tourney field. 

"Life on the island was... life on the island," Carlos said lamely. He'd never thought too hard on his lot in life other than the fact that it was his lot. He shrugged at Ben when he noticed the good prince waiting for him to elaborate, and he petted Dude again — with a steadier hand. "You're pretty chill, aren't you?" he whispered to the dog, and he felt his lips twitch at the way Dude merely blinked at him, tongue hanging out of his mouth. 

Maybe this particular dog won't do anything, he thought, petting Dude some more. Maybe hanging around him will help ward off any other dog that comes around. 

Ben, apparently not offended at being ignored, chuckled, a soft smile on his lips. "Good boy," he said, clasping a hand on Carlos' shoulder.

Carlos stared at Ben, stunned and heart racing, and Ben must have felt uncomfortable with his gaze because Ben started to clarify, almost stuttering with his words. But Carlos couldn't really hear him with all the blood pounding in his ears, and he felt himself answer on autopilot. 

He must have been doing something right because Ben smiled and made his way back to the tourney field. 

And that gave Carlos room to breathe, sinking down on a log because his legs were barely steady enough to keep him on his feet, and to ponder, to really analyze what Ben had just done.

Despite being called good boy on numerous occasions, Carlos had never heard someone say it quite so gently, quite so sincere, or with such unadulterated caring eyes before. It freaked him out. The only person who came close to that with him was Jay, but that was only in private, only when it was just the two of them; Jay didn't even get that way, get quite that soft, when they were with Mal and Evie.

Ben was so open just now, and it wasn't until he saw Carlos' bewilderment that he changed his words; his sincerity in his expression never wavered, though, and that had taken Carlos by surprise as well. He glanced down at Dude, the dog sitting contently in his lap, tail wagging every time Carlos scratched behind his ears, and it only served to remind Carlos of the kindness in Ben's smile and the light in his eyes. 

(Though his nerves were still a little on edge, the fact that Carlos forgot about holding a _dog_ in the wake of Ben and his actions spoke volumes. Carlos only wished he knew what that meant.)

Taking a breath to steady himself, Carlos stood up, careful not to upset Dude now that he didn't have the protection of Ben by his side, and made the trek back to the tourney field where, sure enough, Ben waited for him. 

The prince sat on the grass, letting the sun wash over him, and when he noticed Carlos approach, he smiled. "Ready to get back at it?" Ben asked, showing no signs of moving from his spot. He glanced at Dude in Carlos' arms, and his smile widened.

Carlos' ears felt hot. "I'm not good at sports," he muttered, trying to distract himself from his own nerves.

Ben, like he predicted, wasn't having it. "Don't say that, Carlos. I meant what I said about you being fast" — Is that what he'd said, Carlos thought, swallowing — "you can certainly put that to good use on the field." Grinning, Ben stood up, nudging Carlos' shoulder in a poor imitation of Jay's usual greeting. "Besides, you'll probably make Jay really proud if you play."

Carlos flinched, frazzled nerves becoming _worse_. "I don't need to make him proud. Did he say that I did?" Something like panic welled up in his chest, and he took a step back and nearly dropped Dude in the process, which only added to the pressure on his chest because _what if the dog sensed his weakness and lashed out_.

"No!" Ben said, alarmed, and he moved to follow Carlos before thinking better of it. "No, no, I just thought, you know, he'd be happy to have you as a teammate, playing on the field with you."

That something like panic subsided a little at the genuine worry on Ben's face, but Carlos still had doubts running through his head. What if Jay really did want to play the game with him? What if he wanted Carlos to make him proud? And worse, what if Carlos couldn't do it? What if he became yet another disappointment? To _Jay_ , of all people.

The thought horrified him.

"Carlos," Ben said, questioning, as he placed a tentative hand on Carlos' shoulder, the action snapping Carlos out of his thoughts. "Listen, we can pick this up tomorrow if you want. Go show Dude to your friends."

Wait, what, he thought, reeling in his breathing. "You're not giving up on me?" Carlos asked quietly. 

"Of course not," Ben said, as if it should be obvious. "I just want you well rested. After all, today was the first day you encountered a dog, right? That had to take some energy out of you, so go rest up and get it back. We can start again tomorrow." Ben smiled, reassuring and hopeful.

Carlos swallowed. "Okay. See you tomorrow," he said, still uncertain as he slowly began walking away.

"Tomorrow," Ben promised with that gentle smile of his.

It took everything Carlos had not to run all the way to his dorm, growing more rigid by the second with Dude still in his arms.

But as soon as he stepped through the door, his heart began to race again. He paced around the room, absently petting Dude in the process, for once not bothering with any of the technology littered about. He couldn't stop thinking, which meant he couldn't stop walking. His skin felt too hot, and Carlos wanted to scream.

"What's wrong?"

The question made him jump, and he spun around to stare at Jay with wide eyes; he hadn't heard the door open — or did he even close it to begin with?

Jay studied him with that worried way of his that he only showed Carlos and the girls, and his eyes traveled down to Dude in Carlos' arms. His eyes widened. "Are you holding a _dog_?"

A quick glance told Carlos that the door was indeed closed, which meant Jay had probably said something to him when he entered, and because Carlos hadn't responded, closed it. Carlos could almost cry with relief; he was safe with Jay.

Putting Dude down, Carlos shuffled closer to Jay, nervous and itchy as he didn't want to startle either of them, which only intensified at Jay's concerned look.

"Jay..." Carlos all but pleaded, reaching out but not touching; he usually wasn't the one who touched first. 

Something darkened on Jay's face, but it wasn't sinister, wasn't angry — at least not at Carlos, never at Carlos — and Jay closed the small gap between them, pulling Carlos close and pressing their lips together firmly, passionately.

Carlos melted, clinging to the front of Jay's vest. He even let out an embarrassing whimper. When Jay pulled away, Carlos stared at him in a daze for a full three seconds before his skin began to itch all over again.

Narrowing his eyes, Jay cupped Carlos' chin, gently tilting his head back so he was looking into Carlos' eyes. "What do you want?" he asked as his thumb smoothed over Carlos' skin.

Carlos shivered. Instead of answering with words, Carlos dropped to his knees, right then and there.

"Hey now," Jay said, mildly surprised, his brow creased. "Let's move this somewhere else."

Carlos didn't want to move, not when he was so close to Jay's zip, not when his skin felt so restless. He closed his eyes and leaned into Jay, trying not to whine.

He yelped, though.

Jay had picked Carlos up, hauled him right off the floor and pulled him into his arms. He walked to his bed and gently plopped Carlos down on it.

Carlos' blood boiled at the actions. He really did let out a whine this time.

Getting on the bed, Jay scooted Carlos over, his touch never impatient or hurtful. He got himself comfortable, propping himself against the headboard, spreading his legs so that Carlos could comfortably fit between them. Once he deemed himself comfy, he grinned at Carlos.

"Thanks for waiting," he said softly, running his fingers down the side of Carlos' face, leaving a shiver in their wake. "Take what you need."

The moan escaped his lips before Carlos could hold it in check, and embarrassment bloomed on his face, even after all this time, as he tried to get Jay's jeans undone, fingers fumbling.

"Hey, you're okay," Jay murmured as he caressed the shell of Carlos' ear — one of his favorite weak spots to exploit.

Heat pooled into his belly, and Carlos breathed in deep — to steady himself and to take in Jay's scent. His hands were steadier as he lowered Jay's zip and untucked his cock from its confines. But then he became impatient once more.

Because he actually liked the feel of Jay's cock in his mouth; he probably more than liked it, in fact, and seeing it now, hardening at his touch, made Carlos' mouth water.

 _Take what you need_ echoed in his head, and a glance at Jay's expression told him that Jay meant those words. Just like he always did. So Carlos didn't bother with anything else. He just took as much of Jay in his mouth as he could, and he moaned at the feeling of being so full.

Above him, Jay moaned as well, softly and more of a grunt, but it spurred Carlos on, a desire to please, to satisfy, to be a _good boy_ burning in his belly just as hot as his own desire to just fuck his mouth on Jay's cock.

He whined again, impatient and indecisive and almost panicked with the choice of his options, and Jay caressed the shell of his ear again, calming him, gaining his attention.

"You're okay," Jay repeated, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip. "You're _good_ ," he said, adding another caress for good measure. 

And that settled things for Carlos, Jay's words pushing one desire ahead of the other: he needed to please Jay, wanted to, craved it.

So he got to work, sucking the tip as his hands stroked the shaft, swirling his tongue as he took a little more into his mouth, stroking and cupping Jay's balls, used his lips to add pressure, all the things he'd learned Jay liked. 

"Carlos, fuck," Jay panted out, letting his head fall back against the headboard. His hand never stopped caressing Carlos.

Head getting hazy, Carlos took Jay to the back of his throat and held him there, eyes watering at the corners, but that didn't take away from how turned on he was, how his hips moved on their own. Jay's moans only made him hotter, only made the fire burning him wilder.

Then Jay moved, his cock somehow going deeper, causing Carlos to groan in pleasure; belatedly, he realized that Jay sat up, letting his heat surround Carlos, crowding him in the only way Carlos liked. He felt rather than saw Jay move his arm over him, letting it lie on his back, and Carlos felt warm, so warm and protected and safe.

He jerked in surprise when Jay dipped his fingers beneath the waistband of Carlos' shorts.

As much as he didn't want to do it, Carlos pulled off of Jay's dick. "Wha-what are you doing?" he asked, voice wrecked even to his own ears.

"Sorry, man, can't help it when you shake your ass like that," Jay said, massaging the skin he could reach. "Want me to stop?" His fingers dropped a little lower, into Carlos' crack.

The action gave Carlos a full body shudder, and he had to rest his forehead on Jay's thigh, his hand lazily stroking Jay's cock as if on autopilot. Carlos moaned when Jay pressed his fingers a little harder. "This, this is supposed to be for y-you," he gasped out, trying his hardest not to rock into Jay's hand.

"For me?" Jay asked, confusion making its way through his arousal. "Why for me?" he asked, voice turning shades huskier; he was so hard.

Nodding absently through a moan, Carlos opened his mouth wide against the underside of Jay's dick just to suck down his taste, and for a moment he forgot he was asked a question. It took Jay tugging lightly on the hair at the back of his head to make him remember.

"I want you to— I want to be— _Jay_ ," Carlos panted out, frustrated and embarrassed even at the thought, his doubts creeping back into his head.

Jay's fingers stopped their movement but never left their spot, and Jay cupped Carlos' chin again, pulling him up from his dick. Carlos whined at the loss, but he quieted when Jay kissed him — a lingering, firm press of his lips to Carlos'. He tried to follow Jay when it ended, but Jay held him firmly in place.

"You don't have to impress me, okay? With this or with anything," Jay said, adamant and almost stern. He kissed Carlos again, fiercer this time. "You're always my good boy," Jay said when they parted, and he looked _proud_ , the grin he wore softer than Carlos had ever seen it, despite how dark his eyes were. "Definitely my good boy," he murmured as he continued teasing Carlos' ass.

And Carlos collapsed, broke apart and just let it happen, let himself rock into Jay's fingers, losing himself in Jay's eyes, unable to look away thanks to Jay's hold on his chin. Jay was nodding absently, eyes a little glazed from arousal, and he licked his lips as his fingers worked magic on Carlos; he looked so pleased with the sight before him, with Carlos.

With a whine in his throat, Carlos came, cock untouched and still confined in his shorts, and his whole body shook with it, taking all the strength he had; he couldn't hold himself up anymore, so he just let his body go limp, sighing as Jay led his head down, caressing his cheek. Carlos' skin was no longer restless, the cozy feeling of being sated coursing through his veins, but when Jay moved, Carlos remembered the _other_ desire he had, the one that hadn't been satisfied.

"Jay," Carlos murmured, trying his best to inch his way back into Jay's lap. He got nowhere, but he received a hand in his hair for his efforts. "Jay..."

"You already came," Jay said, amused. "Aren't you tired?"

He was, actually, so tired, but that was just fine. It only meant that Jay could do what he wanted. "Jay, please..." He normally hated anything to do with begging, but not when it came to Jay. Because Jay gave him what he wanted.

"Damn, Carlos," Jay murmured above him, and his voice sounded husky again. He took Carlos' head in his hands, guided him to his dick, and Carlos opened his mouth, groaning for it, skin heating all over again. Jay slowly brought Carlos down on his cock, letting inch by inch fill Carlos until he couldn't take anymore, then let him stay there. Carlos moaned around him, almost whining.

Then Jay moved.

He held Carlos still as he fucked into him, using his mouth as he saw fit, and Carlos couldn't think anymore, everything engulfed with the burn so good, with being so full, with _Jay Jay Jay_.

He heard Jay groaning above him, saying filthy praises, felt Jay's fingers knead him gently despite the rough and fast pace of his thrusts, and Carlos felt himself getting hard again, his skin tight and so hot, and he just relaxed his throat to take it, groaned around Jay because _yes yes please more_.

"Fuck, Carlos, you're so _good_ , always taking it so fucking well," Jay groaned out, his thrusts becoming more erratic. "Want me to come in that good mouth of yours? Want to swallow my come?"

Carlos nearly sobbed for it.

Giving a few more thrusts up into him, Jay came in Carlos' mouth, came down his throat, a breathless groan pulled from deep within Jay's chest.

Eyes watering, Carlos took it all, careful not to spill a drop, and it felt like intoxication as Jay's cock slowly left his mouth. He hadn't been this blissed out in a long time.

"You're trembling," Jay managed to say, voice mellowed from being sated, and he somehow found the strength to pull Carlos up, almost so that they were cuddling. He made a surprised grunt. "You came again."

Blinking, Carlos realized Jay was right. His shorts were wetter and little tremors wracked his body. No wonder he felt so good, so content. His brain was offline, and he could only lay by Jay's side, enjoying the way Jay's fingers moved in his hair every now and then.

After what felt like the most peaceful time of Carlos' life, Jay nudged him. "You good now?" When all he got in answer was a grunt, Jay laughed. "Come on, shower time."

Carlos didn't care about showers. Not right now. He cared about the warmth of Jay's body, the pleasant buzz in his head, the _tone_ of Jay's voice.

Jay nudged him again. "You're gonna ruin your clothes, dude."

A bark startled them both.

"Oh yeah," Carlos said once his heart rate had gone down, voice hoarse to high heaven. He grudgingly sat up, blinking at the dog laying in the middle of the room. Taking in the way the creature's tail wagged, Carlos felt embarrassment, nervousness trickling into his gut, and despite trying as hard as he could, he couldn't get his mother's words out of his head.

Still, the animal hadn't attacked him, even at the sight of him on all fours, so Carlos figured that this particular dog really didn't want to do that to Carlos. Or it's not mating season yet, he thought, paling slightly.

"Speaking of the dog," Jay commented, not even trying to be subtle, "what happened?"

Closing his eyes in sheepishness, Carlos shrugged. "Nothing much." Maybe the dog didn't attack him because he was with Jay? If that's the case, I'll just make sure I'm by Jay whenever the animal is near, he thought.

(Cruella had told Carlos that dogs were pack animals, which meant that there was always an alpha. Maybe Dude viewed Jay as an alpha, which meant that it viewed Carlos as Jay's alone. Carlos wasn't entirely sure, but he knew he'd be watching his back around the creature.)

"Uh huh," Jay said, giving Carlos a _look_. "Nothing much doesn't do that to you. Haven't seen you get like that in a while." Though his tone was mild, something in his expression, in the lines of his eyes, belied his calmness, showing his anger, his worry.

Sighing, Carlos decided to own up to his shame. It was the least he could do. "On the tourney field, Ben—"

"What'd he do?" Jay demanded, sitting up straight, a cloudy expression on his fierce face.

Something fluttered in Carlos' chest, but he quickly shook his head. "No, nothing! Well, nothing he _meant_ to do." At Jay's raised eyebrow, Carlos continued. "He just said something that kinda struck a chord."

"Okay." Jay nodded, leaning back, the cloudy expression turned curious. "What was it?"

Carlos' ears burned. "He called me a, a good boy," he mumbled. His face only got redder when Jay smirked.

"That ain't _so_ bad," Jay said, and Carlos could tell he was imagining _things_. His thoughts cleared, though, and he studied Carlos. "That wasn't all, though, right?"

Carlos fidgeted. Now he definitely wanted to get out of his clothes; they were making him more uncomfortable. "Jay, it was just me being stupid, okay? I took it the wrong way, and it was dumb." He scooted off the bed, trying not to fumble with his buckle and zip.

"Not buying it," Jay said, scooting to the edge of the bed.

"You never buy anything," Carlos muttered as he stripped.

The words made Jay grin. He started tugging off his clothes, too. "So that means you're not gonna tell me?" he asked once he was out of his shirt.

Frowning at his shorts — he'd need to spend extra time cleaning them — Carlos sent Jay a frustrated glance. "Fine. When I said I'm not good at sports, he told me that wasn't true and that I should keep at it because, because he thinks it'll make you proud. If we play on the field together and stuff." He spoke in a rush, boring holes into his shorts to keep from looking at Jay.

So he jumped in surprise when Jay hooked an arm around his neck. He was already naked.

"Well, I already told you, right?" Jay said into his ear, grinning as Carlos' shivered. He guided Carlos toward the bathroom. "No need to impress me. You're already my good boy." He nipped at Carlos' earlobe. "Let me show you if you don't believe me."

In the end, they had to take two showers that night.

———

The clock read seven in the morning, and already Carlos had been up for three hours. On a Saturday. Pouring over his notes.

No matter how he approached the problem, he only ever found the same answer.

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, pressing his hands to his eyes, forcing them to rest. Mal wasn't going to like his results, which meant they were going to have to come up with yet another plan, which meant staying longer in Auradon.

Not that Carlos would mind that. While the classes were stupid, he got to play with all kinds of technology unavailable on the island. The other night even saw him testing out the offered video games with Jay and Evie.

Hell, Carlos didn't even mind tourney that much anymore, not with Ben relaying plays and information in a way that actually made sense to him.

(He might have minded Dude, as the creature seemed to follow him now, but nothing in the dog's actions or posture ever held malice, and as Carlos was always with someone else when the dog showed up, he didn't worry _too_ much about it.)

But Carlos knew they couldn't stay in Auradon, not forever. They were different, were damaged, were nothing like the kind of creatures dwelling on the mainland. He saw it day by day, every hour by the hour. The students of Auradon Prep knew nothing of the trials and tribulations that lie in wait on the island, and they didn't care.

They never cared, Carlos thought as he stretched, and that suited him just fine; he never cared either, not about his lot in life or about the faceless, massive land that was Auradon.

But there was something he would admit to caring about. Mal, Evie, and Jay. He couldn't deny how he cared for them, not that he would say as much out loud. As he'd learned, it was fine to appear weak, but it was a death knell to actually admit to it; he'd seen it in the way Maleficent treated Mal, seen it in the way others treated him, and those experiences only steeled himself.

A weak man knew the value of strength, and Carlos would muster every strength within him to his last to protect those who protected him.

Which only made the results of his digging all the more frustrating.

"What are you doing?" Jay asked through a yawn, barely opening his eyes as he rolled over, facing Carlos.

His frustrations ebbing slightly — it was still so surreal to witness Jay sleep, to see him so at ease, so _young_ — Carlos just shook his head. "Preparing for Mal."

Jay let out a grunt, rubbing the heel of his palm in his eye as he propped himself up on his elbow. "She fucking you?"

Blinking, Carlos snorted. He's found that Jay's brain wasn't quite on track in the morning. "No. I'm going to tell her about the wand today."

That apparently was enough to wake Jay up fully, as he blinked several times as he sat up, sleep vanishing from his eyes and expression growing neutral. He moved to the edge of the bed, letting his feet touch the floor but not getting up just yet. "Wanna get food?"

The thought made him a little ill; he wasn't used to being able to just walk up to get whatever food item he wanted, and he definitely wasn't used to getting food when he hadn't done at least five hundred chores to deserve it.

Hell, he had _just_ gotten used to the idea of Mal and Jay stealing food for him on the island, to the idea of Evie handing him "leftovers" from her cooking efforts. 

The door opened, startling both boys, and Mal and Evie came into the room, Evie shutting the door behind them. 

"Eat up, limp dicks," Mal said as she tossed them a small bag each. 

Carlos blinked, catching his with surprising ease, and he raised an eyebrow at Evie, but she only smiled. 

"Can I eat something else?" Jay asked, batting his eyes at Evie, causing her to laugh. 

"Maybe you'll get dessert later," Evie returned, using her signature flirty smirk and gaze. 

Grinning, Jay opened the bag, inspecting its contents. "What are you doing up, anyway?" 

Mal raised an eyebrow. "What are you still doing in bed? You never sleep in." 

Jay snorted, pulling out some type of pastry and taking a bite. "Dealing with Auradon gives me a headache, so fight me." 

Carlos winced, picking at his own breakfast. The reminder that Jay wasn't comfortable, that they all weren't comfortable, here only made it harder for him to break the news to them. Gotta do it now, though, so they'll _know_ , he thought as he put his food bag to the side. Taking in a breath, he spoke. "We need to talk..." 

He tried not to wince again as the atmosphere in the room changed, as any trace of amusement left their faces, Evie and Jay's expression concerned while Mal's turned critical. Jay moved to the edge of his bed, putting down his food bag and giving Carlos his complete attention, and Evie sat down on Carlos' bed, concern still on her features. Mal, with hands on her hips, simply stayed in her spot, standing between the two beds. 

"So, you're not gonna like this," Carlos said once they settled, bringing up the museum's schematics on his laptop and turning it so that Mal could see his findings. 

"What am I looking at?" Mal asked, brow creased with annoyance already.

"This is the force field surrounding the wand," Carlos said, pointing to the proper location on the schematic. "Its alarm is electronic, and so is the switch to turn it off or reset it. However," he continued with a wince when Mal opened her mouth, "the force field itself seems to be endued with magic."

Mal hummed, expression thoughtful. "But you can break through it, like with the barrier?" 

This time, Carlos couldn't hold back his wince. "Not... exactly. The barrier over the island was made by a combination of _several_ magical entities. With so many mixing together, some parts of the barrier were bound to be weaker than others, and _that's_ why I was able to break it using the right frequency: because there was a weak spot. _This_ is different; there are no weak spots. The only magic in the force field comes from the Fairy Godmother herself." 

Silence filled the room for a few agonizing seconds. Then, Evie spoke. "What does that mean?" she asked, expression guarded, like she knew the answer was unfavorable to their task.

And boy, is it ever, he thought as he sighed. "It means that only the Fairy Godmother's magic can kill the force field. Otherwise, it'll repel anyone who'll try to touch the wand." 

"Fuck," was all Jay said, and it seemed to sum up the situation.

"And you're sure that's the only way to get it?" Mal asked, hands opening and closing with nervous energy, with frustration.

"Positive," Carlos reluctantly affirmed. "I've read the code front and back, so to speak, and that's the only way to get through the force field. The security personnel guidebook even states that, in the unlikely event of a break in, not to worry about the wand. Even if the thief cut off the building's power and took out the generators, the force field would remain in tact."

He searched everywhere he could, combed the code line by line, twice, but he couldn't find a way around the damn thing. That wand was as good as unreachable, despite the fact that it was a mere two miles away.

"That's what took you so long," Mal said, cutting into the tense silence of the room. "You were checking the options?"

Swallowing, Carlos nodded. "I wanted to make sure..."

Giving a curt nod, Mal walked toward Carlos, and he tried not to freeze up, tried not to expect a hit, because he knew Mal wouldn't do that, not unless he truly fucked up. Still, he braced himself for _something_ , but when Mal reached for him, when she placed her hand in his hair and gave him a gentle ruffle, he was blindsided.

"You did well, Carlos," she said softly, and she leaned in to give him a kiss, not lingering or passionate, but not quick or meaningless either.

Carlos could only nod his head.

"If she's the only one who's capable of opening the force field," Evie began, pulling Carlos out of his stupor, "do you think becoming her would do the trick?" She looked at them all, curious, as she pulled out her mother's old spell book.

"Changes to the body could fool anyone, but can someone change magic?" Jay asked, brow furrowed in thought, glancing at them, questioning.

"I don't know..." Carlos said, disliking this conversation more by the minute. "I didn't really believe in magic till recently." And I still don't like it, he thought, just a little petulant. 

Mal snorted, but she shrugged at Jay. "I don't think it's possible to change your magical touch. Besides, the Fairy Godmother isn't the only person with magic in Auradon, right? A thief could just as easily use magic as he could use cunning and strength, but that guidebook Carlos found told the guards to not worry about the wand at all." She frowned. "I think magic is like a thumbprint, only impossible to forge."

"Great," Jay muttered, slumping against the bedpost. "Now what?"

"Is there a way to test the thumbprint theory?" Evie asked, leafing through the spell book in her hands.

Mal frowned. "Why would—"

"Think about it," Evie interrupted, swallowing at the look on Mal's face. "Maybe Fairy Godmother didn't think anyone with magic would try? Maybe she thought no one with enough power would want to steal it?"

Something flashed across Mal's face, but she was quick to conceal it. "You still think I have enough power to take on one of the front runners in the magical arts?"

Swallowing again, Evie gave a definitive nod. "Your power plus all of ours."

Carlos felt his stomach tighten. "I have no power."

"Being gifted with intelligence is a type of power," Evie argued.

"And what's your argument for me?" Jay asked quietly, seriousness unnerving Carlos.

Evie was undeterred. "You protect those with power. What's more powerful than that?"

"I don't need to protect you anymore. Any of you. Not while you got magic and smarts coursing through you." Jay's expression was stony, both his jaw and hands flexing, and even though he was as still as a statue, restlessness rolled off of him in waves. 

Carlos couldn't take it anymore; he'd seen Jay bottle it up too much this past week. "I think you need to stop lying," he said, bracing himself for a fight.

Jay became impossibly more rigid, eyes narrowing. "Excuse me?"

"Stop lying," Carlos repeated, trying to find the courage to hold his ground. Everything will be fine when it's out in the open, he thought, hoped. 

Turned out, he didn't need to hold his ground on his own.

Mal had stepped forward, not really placing herself between them, but making her presence known, letting them see that she could, that she would. "What's going on?"

Jay remained like stone, dark eyes surveying them like he was faced with a threat, and Carlos didn't understand.

Jay had power — Carlos had seen it with his own eyes — so why would he lie about it, why would he refuse to use it?

" _Jay_ ," Mal said, tone a warning.

It got Jay scowling. "Don't use that fucking tone with me."

Carlos flinched. This doesn't bode well, he thought, regretting his decision.

"Then grow a pair and fucking talk," Mal countered.

Carlos swallowed. Why did it always come down to near blows with those two?

When Jay remained silent, Mal nearly growled. "Fine," she said, and then she turned to Carlos. "Explain."

Frozen under Mal's gaze, trying not to glance at Jay, trying not to think about the confrontation that would follow later in their room, Carlos took a breath. "He, he healed his hand."

"When?" Evie breathed out, glancing at Jay.

Jay clenched his jaw and didn't utter a word.

"Carlos," Mal said, using the same tone.

Cursing his mouth, Carlos obliged. "After our first day of tourney practice. He punched one of the lockers, cut up his hand, but before Ben or anyone else could see, his, his hand was fine. Like nothing happened."

The girls turned to look at Jay. "Do you deny this?" Evie asked.

Jaw flexing, Jay shook his head.

"I knew it!" Evie said, excited. "I knew you could see the gold dust bridge."

"Why hide the fact that you can use magic?" Mal asked, tone calmer, but her gaze was still intense, her brow creased in confusion. 

"Because I don't plan on using it," Jay said tightly.

"But Jay," Evie began, but her mouth closed with an audible click when Jay _glared_ at her.

"I'm not. Using it," he said again through clenched teeth. "I want nothing to do with magic."

"Why not?" Mal asked, but this time, the bite was out of her tone; she was merely curious.

Jay scoffed, glaring at the floor instead of looking at them directly. "My old man."

Even now, even in Auradon, far from the island, a shiver crept down Carlos' spine at the mention of Jafar.

Tentative, Evie spoke. "What do—"

"Mal might be okay with walking in her mother's footsteps, but I'm not okay with walking the same path as my father," Jay said quickly, voice mostly steady. "Maleficent and Mal were born into magic; Jafar wasn't."

"But _you_ were," Evie said quietly. "How else would you be able to do it?"

"Doesn't matter," Jay said through gritted teeth, dismissing the question outright. "You said that we'd have all our parents' strengths but none of their weaknesses, right?" He scowled. "Well, magic was Jafar's weakness. I'm not touching it."

He looked so full of hate and self-loathing that Carlos regretted ever bringing it up, regretted his own eyes for catching Jay in the act. 

"Fuck this," Jay muttered as he got off of the bed, making his way to the door. 

"Jay," Mal said, grabbing him by the arm, holding him back despite being nowhere near as strong as he was. 

But Jay had stopped, the effort of staying in place seemingly too much as his whole body _shook_. "Let me..." he said, not looking at her, not looking at any of them. "Mal, let me," he repeated, more desperate, and his body jerked, like he could hardly keep it still, like it had a mind of his own. 

A few seconds that felt like anything but passed, and Mal slowly released her hold on Jay, and just like that, Jay was out the room, the door slamming in his wake. 

" _Fuck_ ," Carlos breathed out, trying not to hyperventilate, turning to Mal. "Fuck, Mal, I didn't mean—!" 

"Carlos, hush," Mal said, moving next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't really a secret," she admitted, her eyes drifting to the door. 

Silence rang out for an uncomfortable minute. "What?" Carlos asked. 

"We could tell," Evie said as she, too, moved next to him, expression apologetic. "The moment we crossed Auradon's border, we could just... sense it." She furrowed her brow as she tried to explain. "It's like a vibe, you know?" 

"Then why hide it?" Carlos asked, throat closing. "If he could sense it, why hide it? Unless he just wanted to hide it from me..." And that thought nearly choked him. 

"Jay wouldn't do that to you," Mal said fiercely, her hand squeezing his shoulder, as if trying to shake him out of his thoughts. "He was trying to hide it from all of us." 

"But _why_?" Carlos all but demanded, frustrated and hating it. He felt so slow, so dumb, so useless. "Why bother trying to hide it if magic wielders can sense each other?" 

"Maybe he didn't sense it?" Evie offered, leaning over to kiss Carlos' forehead as she ran her hand through his hair. "Maybe he was so preoccupied with trying to deny that part of him that he couldn't sense it?" 

"Maybe he lacked the intuition to do it," Mal said, glancing at them. "Evie and I have been reading our mother's spell books, and we've grown up around the remains of magic in some form or another; we've accepted the fact that magic runs in our blood. Jay's different. He's lived his life on the belief that he was just... human." She frowned. "Everyone on the island knew when it came to brute strength, Jay was the top contender." 

"So maybe that's all he believed he was," Evie finished, nodding her head at the theory. 

Carlos remained silent. It did make a kind of sense, but a little nagging voice insisted he was the reason. And he had to go and confront Jay about it, in front of the girls no less! He really was useless. 

"Carlos," Mal said, standing in front of him and resting her hands on his shoulders, waiting for Carlos to look up at her. "You did _well_ ," she insisted, her hands moving from his shoulders to his cheeks, "you did well. Let Jay cool off on his own; things will be fine." She leaned in, pressing a kiss to his lips, her thumbs brushing against his skin. 

Unable to speak, Carlos nodded, forcing himself to ignore the voice in his head, telling himself to trust in Mal, to trust in Evie. They were always the ones with the better plans, after all. 

Satisfied, Mal gave another little kiss before stepping away. "We need to focus on figuring out another method of stealing the wand," she said with a sigh, running a hand through her hair. 

Evie hummed. Then, abruptly, she took Carlos' hand. "Let's play that video game thing."

Carlos and Mal both let out an identical, flat, "What." 

Smiling, Evie merely tugged on Carlos' arms. "How many times did you get an idea for an invention while doing your chores?" she asked him, raising a knowing eyebrow. She turned to Mal. "How many times have you found your mind clearing while drawing? We need to give our minds a break, you know, let them work on their own."

Blinking, Carlos glanced at Mal. Evie's idea did have a lot of merit, and if he were honest, he could really use the senseless virtual fighting right about now. 

Huffing in amusement, Mal waved her hand. "Fine by me," she said as she moved to Jay's bed, plopping down and looking at them expectantly. 

Evie clapped her hands in delight, taking a seat in front of the tv, smiling at Carlos as he readied everything. 

Giving her a smile in return, Carlos let himself be surrounded by her voice, by the screen in front of him, letting himself push Jay and every doubt concerning him to the back of his mind. 

———

Time escaped Jay. So did location. 

He didn't know how long he'd been walking around campus, barely heard the indignant huffs of the people he walked right by, too close to their liking, more preoccupied with the fact that Carlos had _known_. 

Mal's suspicion, even Evie's, was to be expected ever since the limo, but for Carlos to know and keep it secret, too... What if he had been waiting for Jay to tell him? What if, because Jay hadn't told him, Carlos thought Jay didn't trust him, didn't want him to know? 

And I just walked away, _fuck_ everything, he thought, hating himself all the more. Because of course he would fuck up trying to protect Carlos, trying to keep him from feeling excluded. He growled as he stepped into a little clearing around a tall, old oak, wanting nothing more than to just _punch_ something until his knuckles were a mangled mess. 

He was such a monster. 

"Jay?" 

Jay froze, forcing himself to keep his fists unclenched, and he turned to the voice, dreading the encounter already. Why did it have to be him, he thought sullenly as he faced Ben. 

Sitting at the base of the great oak, Ben's eyebrows were raised in surprise, the book in his hands forgotten. He was sitting on a small blanket, some type of basket filled with food next to him. 

"What are you doing here?" Jay asked before he could stop himself. He didn't care what the good prince was doing there, didn't care how he managed to stumble upon the one person he didn't want to see, and he cursed his feet for betraying him, for leading him right to Ben.

"This is my secret spot," Ben said, cheerful and not offended by the question. "I come here to read when I want to get away." He stood up, closing his book and dusting himself off. "You can use it, though." He gestured to both the blanket and the basket. 

Jay's chest tightened, unable to take the kindness in Ben's eyes, in his expression. "Why would you do that?" he asked, proud how he at least kept his voice from shaking. 

Ben's smile softened, and it only caused the hairs on the back of Jay's neck to rise. "You're dealing with something difficult, right? So you probably need this place more than I do at the moment. Feel free to stay as long as you'd like." Placing a hand Jay's shoulder and squeezing lightly, Ben nodded a little, soft smile still in place. "I'll see you later, okay?" 

Annoyed and frustrated to all hell, Jay had enough. None so gently, he grabbed Ben by the arm and pushed him into the tree, a fist crumpling up his pristine shirt in the process, and Jay _scowled_. "Do you have any idea what I could do to you?" he spat out, grip in Ben's shirt tightening. Jay didn't know what he was doing, didn't know what he _meant_ by saying that, but he couldn't take Ben's eyes anymore. 

"You could beat me," came Ben's calm answer, body still so relaxed despite Jay's force, his closeness. 

"At _least_ ," Jay grit out, and he hated it, hated how true it was, hated how he was so _weak_ to his emotions, to the damning pull of magic in the air. Jay truly was a monster. 

(Only a monster would want to mess up such a genuine goodness, that treacherous little voice told him; how like Jafar he was.)

Ben's brow creased at his answer, like he didn't know what was worse than a beating, and Jay, incredulously, found himself _relieved_ the good prince knew nothing of the world just then. 

Still, Ben didn't make a move to break from Jay's hold, even though Jay knew well enough from tourney that Ben had the strength to do so, and instead of getting angry at being treated in such a way by a common street rat, Ben only placed his hand over Jay's — gently, slowly, trying not to startle Jay. 

And, even more incredulously, Jay let him. 

"Jay," Ben began, and it felt like he was looking into Jay's very soul, his hand on Jay's paralyzing, "I'm sorry for whatever's troubling you, but you don't have to go through it alone." He smiled, slow but sure, squeezing Jay's hand. "You can count on others, on your friends or even me. I promise you, on my life, you won't be alone." 

"On your life?" Jay asked, brow creased in his incomprehension, releasing his hold on Ben, taking a step back. His _life_ , Jay thought, unable to see why a prince, the future king of Auradon, would even waste his time on scum like him, much less make _that_ promise with such conviction. 

Ben chuckled, smile turning almost secretive, and he nodded. "Of course." He smoothed down his shirt, still not offended, looking at Jay like he was _something_. 

I don't get you, he thought, unable to do anything but marvel at the boy in front of him. "How'd you know I wouldn't just smash your face in?" 

Pausing, Ben blinked. "You're my teammate, Jay. I trust you," he said, like it was the simplest, easiest thing in the world, like trusting a monster was no big deal. 

Jay's chest tightened, throat gone dry. "Because you know nothing about nightmares." He didn't know why he said it; he shouldn't be jeopardizing their task by revealing his sin, his darkness, but Ben's sincere expression, his compassion, threw Jay off. 

Ben blinked again, and a self-deprecating smile formed on his lips. "I used to have a recurring nightmare of turning into a beast," he said with a half-hearted shrug. 

And the thought, the image of this boy in front of him turning into any kind of beast was enough to get Jay to snort, and with it, some of the tension eased from his shoulders. 

Well fuck, is Ben magic too, Jay thought as he watched Ben's smile widen. 

"I meant it when I said you could use this place," Ben said, gesturing once again to the blanket and basket. "And I meant it when I said you're not alone." 

"On your life," Jay said, just to remind Ben how ridiculous he sounded. 

It just went over his head, it seemed. 

Smile softening, Ben nodded. "On my life," he confirmed, matter-of-fact. With that, he gave a little wave and headed back to the campus. 

Leaving Jay alone with his thoughts, more thoughts than he had when he stumbled upon Ben. 

Swallowing, still unable to believe the conversation that had just occurred, Jay sat down on the blanket, feeling... warm. Shaking himself, Jay scooted down enough to lay back, wrapping the blanket around him, and he closed his eyes, forcing his mind blank, willing himself to go to sleep to just forget about things for a while. 

He'd deal with everything once he woke up.

—

The nap, surprisingly, helped, if only for a while. 

Jay had awakened with barely anything racing in his in head, with his heart beating steady, no lingering nightmares to ravish his mind, body, and soul. 

The peacefulness he felt had freaked him out more than anything, and he left Ben's spot in a hurry, left the serenity it offered because it made him uneasy, because after waking up he knew, he _knew_ , that that place held magic. 

And why should that magic calm him when all others only stirred up the demons within? What made it so different? Did Ben's permission somehow change things? 

Jay didn't want to think about any of it. 

He didn't want to go back to the dorms, either, but staying away wasn't an option. 

(He might be a monster, but Jay was Mal's monster, was Evie's and Carlos', and he'd do what needed to be done to see to it that they succeed in their task, even if he was consumed in the process.)

With a deep breath, Jay entered his and Carlos' dorm room, throat closing when he noticed Carlos freeze in front of his laptop. Trying not to show his uneasiness, Jay walked over to his bed, to his dresser. 

"H-hey, Jay," Carlos said, trying hard to sound nonchalant but failing miserably, especially since his voice shook. "Um, Mal and Evie came up with another plan for the wand." 

Jay let out a grunt; he figured they would, figured they'd stick to business instead of waiting for him to finish wallowing on his own. With a little more force than necessary, he opened one of the drawers. 

"It, uh, it involves Jane. You know, the Fairy Godmother's daughter? Remember, we were introduced in one of our goodness classes?" 

I remember, he thought, a little angrily as he vaguely recalled the young girl — yet another person with Goodness in them, meek and frightened as she was with them. Good but easily forgotten. More to the point... Why is Carlos trying to act as if nothing happened, he thought as he rummaged through his drawer. 

"It's weird, right? That the Fairy Godmother has a daughter. I mean, you know, since Mal said Maleficent said creatures of the fae don't really like sex. I mean, sure, Maleficent had Mal, but she's different, she's cunning and has some sort of plan and all. I don't think the Fairy Godmother is cunning or anything like that, so why have a child?" 

I don't care about them, Jay thought as he pulled out some clothes that were loose and ragged; he wasn't planning on leaving the room anymore for the day. 

"Jay?" Carlos asked, tentative and small, and it only served to remind Jay how much he was failing his own vow of protection. 

"I'm going shower," he said as he walked to the bathroom, figuring scalding hot water would cleanse him somehow, would bring him back to a more productive state, bring him back to a more normal version of himself. 

"O-okay," he heard Carlos say before he shut the bathroom door. 

Why couldn't he be better?

—

After steaming the entire bathroom, his skin red and numb, Jay felt calmer, mind clearer. 

Everyone knew, sure, but they also heard Jay renounce his capability. They might have disagreed from time to time, but Mal had never ordered him to do something he said he wouldn't. 

So he wouldn't dwell too hard; they knew, and he accepted it now. 

What he had to do was explain it to Carlos, was make it up to him; he shouldn't have hid it from him, shouldn't have walked away. Carlos didn't deserve that. 

Carlos didn't deserve being subjected to the demons within Jay. 

Hair still dripping wet, soaking his shirt, Jay braced himself as he walked out of the bathroom. It didn't prepare him for what he found, though. 

Carlos was wearing one of his ragged outfits as well, standing by the door. Jay watched him lock the door, turning toward him with nervous energy. 

"What are you doing?" Jay asked, somehow feeling like a cornered animal. 

"I-I just wanted to make sure no one came in here," Carlos said, licking his lips. 

Keeping his nerves in check, Jay raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?" 

Swallowing, Carlos slowly made his way to Jay, stopping only a few inches in front of him. "I don't want anyone to interrupt," he whispered, pink tinting his cheeks. 

"Carlos, what—" Jay's eyes widened as Carlos leaned up to kiss him, as he felt Carlos' hands settle on his hips, as he felt them move to his junk. Arousal sparked through him, but Jay pulled away; he'd never be that kind of monster, not with Carlos. "Carlos, what's going on?" 

"Jay, please," Carlos begged, trying to press closer, licking his lips again. "Let me do this, let me make it up to you." His hands never stopped roaming over Jay's body, and Jay was low enough to let them continue. 

"To _me_?" Jay echoed, incredulous. "You did nothing wrong," he insisted, pulling Carlos closer, pulse jumping at Carlos' moan. "I was in the wrong," he said, transfixed as Carlos ground against him, and he allowed Carlos to kiss him again, allowed it to deepen. 

"No," Carlos said when he pulled away, voice breathy. "If I hadn't said anything, you wouldn't have—" Carlos bit his lip, grinding a little harder. "Jay, I'm sorry—"

This time, Jay claimed Carlos' lips, unwilling to hear any more, hating how his fingers actually fumbled to get Carlos' shorts off of him, hating how he was too impatient as he dipped one of his hands beneath the waistband to grab Carlos' ass, squeezing it, as his fingers slipped between his cheeks, slipping into his hole. 

And Jay paused, staring down at Carlos, watching how flushed he became as Jay slipped two fingers in without much effort.

"You prepared yourself," Jay said, voice too calm to his own ears. He didn't stop moving his fingers. If he wasn't hard before, he was now. 

Swallowing, Carlos nodded, breathing heavily. "I-I wanted to make it up to you," he said on a moan, his shaky hands moving to get at Jay's zip. "Jay, c'mon, plea—"

Jay kissed him again, hungry and almost desperate, made even more so by the sheer guttural groan that wrecked Carlos, and Jay hurriedly pushed down Carlos' shorts as Carlos managed to undo his zip, his whole body shaking with need, and _fuck_ how did he become this?

He definitely was a monster. 

With their mouths still connected, Jay lifted Carlos, his blood racing as Carlos broke the kiss to pull off his shirt, and Jay walked Carlos into the nearest wall, pressed him against it a little harder than necessary, but Carlos moaned and pulled Jay closer to him. 

Allah, let me keep this for a little while longer, he thought as he hauled Carlos up further, thankful that Carlos' shorts were tugged down just enough so he could slip his dick inside, and they both groaned. 

"That's it, Jay," Carlos gasped, arching off of the wall as Jay started thrusting up into him, "take what you want." He groaned, his hands in Jay's hair, pulling slightly. 

Please, Allah, Jay prayed as he hiked Carlos up for a better grip, his legs resting in the crook of Jay's elbows, and he fucked Carlos into the wall, his mouth on Carlos' neck, his hands bruising Carlos' skin. 

And Carlos sang, his fingers digging into Jay's shoulders, would break skin if it weren't for the shirt, and Jay kissed him, muffling the noise as he quickened his pace. 

"Fuck, Carlos, you're _perfect_ ," Jay breathed out once they broke apart, the warmth of Carlos, the way he clung to Jay's shoulders, his neck, the way he clenched around Jay, so fucking delicious and intoxicating that Jay couldn't help but be a little rougher, idly wondering if the wall would crack from the pressure of holding them up. 

" _Jay_ ," Carlos gasped, whining in the back of his throat, so beautiful a sight that Jay didn't know how he was able to see it, how he was able to touch this and not ruin it with his filth. 

"So fucking perfect, taking it so _well_ ," Jay grit out, grip tightening, thrusts turning erratic. "Want me to fill you, Carlos? Wanna take what I give you?" 

Carlos nodded wildly, practically sobbed for it, his own cock trapped by his shorts, precome wetting the material, and Carlos pulled at Jay's hair again, pulling him for another kiss, hungry and desperate. 

And that was enough.

Jay came like it was ripped from him, like it was the first time, like it might be the last time, and he _groaned_ , fucking Carlos slow and rough as he emptied into him. He groaned again when he felt Carlos clench around him in his own release, Carlos' hands still in his hair, his lips still searching for Jay's. 

Panting as they shuddered in the aftermath of orgasm, Jay leaned into Carlos, grateful that the wall was supporting them both, and he tried to gather his wits. "Carlos," he breathed out, pulling back a little, wanting to see Carlos' face. 

Carlos let out a little moan at the slight change in angle, blinking, focusing his attention on Jay, still so dazed and flushed. 

"You didn't need to make it up to me," Jay said slowly, softly, kissing the corner of Carlos' mouth. "I shouldn't have walked away without explaining things." 

"What's done is done," Carlos murmured, leaning in for another kiss, shivering as Jay straightened. "You're still in me," he mumbled, blushing again. 

Jay managed to find the extra strength to grin, and he nodded. "I think we both know by now how much you like that," he teased, so relieved that Carlos wasn't mad at him, that he could keep Carlos for a little bit longer. 

Now he just needed to make it up to the girls. 

Someone knocked on the door, causing both of them to freeze. 

"Boys, open up!" Evie called from the other side. "I'm alone." 

Sighing in relief, Jay gently pulled out and set Carlos on the floor, making sure he was okay enough to stand on his own before he walked to the door. He didn't bother tucking himself in. 

As soon as the door was unlocked, Evie hurried inside, shutting the door behind her and locking it again. She leaned against it as she studied the boys, a grin on her lips. "Glad to see you worked things out. Can I help with clean up?" she asked as she eyed Jay's dick, biting her bottom lip. 

Snorting, Jay shook his head. "Where's Mal?" 

"Looking for Jane," Evie answered as she walked to Carlos, grabbing some tissues to help him with clean up. 

"Oh, right," Jay said absently, remembering Carlos' words before his shower. "Think that'll work?" He didn't know what the exact plan was, but he figured he'd ask Carlos later. 

"Only time will tell," Evie said with a small shrug, her focus primarily on Carlos. She smirked. "Want some cream for those bruises?" 

Carlos' cheeks reddened. "I'm fine for now," he mumbled, eyes settling on Jay despite his embarrassment. 

Evie smiled and kissed Carlos' temple. She then turned to Jay. "And you?" 

Blinking, Jay raised an eyebrow. "I don't want you to give me anything," he began, gaze drifting from the locked door to Evie's questioning stare. "I want to give _you_ something," he finished, and he let his eyes travel down her body as he licked his lips. 

He needed to make it up to her as well, after all. 

Evie — bright and beautiful Evie — let a slow smile grace her lips, gaze darkening as she picked up on his offer. "Then I suggest you get on the bed, oh prince of thieves," she ordered

"I was thinking more along the lines of getting on my knees," he commented lightly as he followed her order anyway. 

"The bed will do," Evie said, dismissing the idea as she kissed Carlos' temple again. Giving her full attention to Jay, she smirked. "I want you comfortable when I sit on your face." 

Mouth watering as heat crept into his belly, Jay lay on the bed, eagerly awaiting Evie's taste, and as he watched Evie remove her panties, Jay hoped that Mal was succeeding in her plan, that she had found Jane and was one step closer to that wand. 

It was the least he could do. 

———

Mal paused, following Jane into the ladies' bathroom momentarily on hold, as she felt something in the air, something that felt distinctly like Jay. He must have sorted things out, she thought with a smile, pleased. She knew all he needed was space and time to himself. 

Once she dealt with Jane, she'd head back to the boys' room to thoroughly make sure everything was settled between them. 

Taking a breath to steady herself, Mal entered the bathroom, glad for Evie's magic mirror for leading her to the library, glad that Jane was by herself, glad that things were, so far, aligning in her favor. 

Jane stood in front of the mirror, fiddling with her hair, and Mal saw her eyes widen when she noticed Mal's presence. Swallowing, Jane quickly turned around, staring at Mal with wide, puzzled eyes. 

"Hi," Mal said with a smile, debating on how spin the conversation. "It's Jane, right?" When Jane said nothing, Mal let out a genuine huff of amusement at the girl's reasonable fear. "Do you always study alone?" 

Jane swallowed again. "Yes, pretty much," she said hurriedly, and she made to move, clearly wanting to be anywhere but near Mal. 

"Don't go!" Mal said quickly, a little too loudly, outstretched arm stopping Jane on the spot, her wide eyes staring at Mal in fear.

Mal tried not to wince. Better change tactics, she thought, mind racing just a quick step faster than her heart. She sighed, taking a step back as she looked at the ground. "I guess I was just hoping to get to know you better," she said quietly, putting the slightest pout to her lips. "You probably have all the friends you need, though."

Jane, though still conflicted, faced her fully, her expression sympathetic despite the tension in her shoulders. "Hardly..." she said, meek as a mouse.

"Really?" Mal asked, wondering which was the best way to play this girl; she was younger than Mal, and that only reminded her of Carlos, but she couldn't treat Jane like Carlos. There's another thing that reminds me of Carlos, Mal thought as she spoke again. "But you seem so... nice."

"That doesn't always win people over," Jane replied, and now she regarded Mal with something akin to suspicion.

Mal wasn't deterred. "At least people aren't judging you based on your parentage," Mal said, feigning sorrow and embarrassment, knowing that the best way to use someone is to play into their insecurities; lying was optional.

Sure enough, Jane's suspicion vanished, expression and bearing much more open, so much so that Mal was almost dizzy with the change. "I know what that's like."

"But your mother is Fairy Godmother, what's so bad about that?" Before Jane could answer, Mal continued. "Besides, you have your own..." Mal let her words trail a bit, studied how rapt Jane was with them, waiting for Mal to finish. "Personality," she settled on, knowing she chose correctly when she watched Jane sag a bit.

"Thanks, but I'd rather be pretty," Jane confessed, glancing at Mal with... admiration? "You've got great hair."

Puzzled, Mal took her a lock of her own hair between her fingers, blinking at the strands. What's so special about my hair, she wondered, not really comprehending why Jane seemed fixated on it. It was no better than hers, and really, the only hair Mal ever thought was beautiful was Evie's. And while no one would ever beat Evie's beauty in Mal's eyes, Jane wasn't _that_ unattractive. What was she worried about?

Blinking out of her musing, Mal let go of her purple lock, smiling at Jane. She can feel however she wants if it means getting the wand, Mal thought, chiding herself for thinking too deeply on the topic. "You know what?" Mal mused aloud, smiling for Jane as she pulled out her mother's spell book. "I think I have just the thing for that."

The moment she saw the book, Jane's eyes widened, but she leaned in closer, already ensnared by the possibilities it presented, and Mal couldn't help but smirk. Finally, something she could empathize with; Mal knew too well what kind of persuasion magic held, got nearly drunk off of it when they arrived in Auradon.

She willed the book to guide her to an appropriate spell, and her fingers led her to a page with all kinds of nonsense, incantations that were stronger, more lasting than mere glamour murmurings — at least, according to the writing in the margins.

"Ah, here it is," Mal said aloud, giving Jane a brief smile, as she quickly read the page's instructions. " _Beware, forswear, replace the old with brand new hair_." She moved her hand in the way the book denoted, watched in fascination as Jane's head followed the movement, alarmed expression comical.

Mal felt magic swirl around them and pull tight before releasing in a slow trickle, and she looked on with intrigue as Jane lifted her head, showing off new, long gentle curls.

"Wow," Mal murmured, taking in Jane's elated expression as she turned to the mirror, examining herself this way and that, each twist of her head seeming regal thanks to the new hair style. "You can barely take your eyes away." Mal marveled, feeling genuine hair between her fingers as she, too, examined a lock.

Jane, whose delight just kept growing, turned to Mal, eyes traveling to the book, and smiled, excited and yearning. "Do my nose," she begged, tapping the book with reverence.

Think again, little one, Mal thought, keeping the smirk off her face as she played contrite. "Oh, I can't," she said, letting a frown grace her lips. She didn't really know if she could or not, but she knew that there was no incantation that focused on just one feature of the face.

Jane's face fell instantly, like Mal had just gave out a death sentence, and really, all Mal could think was, what's so wrong with her nose?

Instead, she continued her manipulation. "I've been practicing, but you know, I can't do really big magic, not like your mom with her wand." Mal let her words sink in, watched as realization bloomed on Jane's face. "I mean one wave from that thing and you could probably have whatever features you wanted."

"She doesn't use the wand anymore," Jane lamented, hope lost as her gaze flickered to Mal's spell book. "She believes the real magic is in the books. And not the spell books, regular books with history and stuff."

One of the most powerful artifacts in her possession, and the Fairy Godmother refused to use it, refused to use any magic? What kind of fae was she? Unbelievable, she thought. "What a rip," Mal murmured before she could control herself.

Jane didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to share Mal's feelings as she let out a defeated, "Yeah..."

"You know, she used magic on Cinderella," Mal began, bringing out the big gun. "Doesn't she think her real daughter is worth it?"

Jane paled. "Th-that's not it. It's-it's just, you know, tough love. _Work on the inside, not the outside_. You know, that sort of thing."

Mal had no idea what Jane was talking about and, frankly, didn't care to learn, as she was more interested in Jane's expression. "That's the face!" she declared, smiling when Jane blinked at her, startled. Nodding, Mal continued. "Yeah, and then just look as if your, your heart is about to break." She held up her finger, deciding that Jane needed a little lesson in acting, from one fairy kin to another. 

Jutting out her lip in a pretty pout, Mal used one of her sickeningly sweet, demure voices — the kind she rarely used because it had no earthly business being on the island. "Oh, mother, I just don't understand why you can't make me beautiful, too." She held it for a second before smiling at Jane, mischievousness dancing through her body.

It really had been too long since Mal messed with someone. 

Jane stared in wonder, a smile of her own forming on her lips. "Think it would work?" she asked, so naive and hopeful it hurt.

"Yeah. I mean, that's what old Cindy did, right? And your mother Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Booed the living daylights out of her." Mal smirked when Jane chuckled, looking more and more into the idea of using deception to get what she wanted. Corrupting people was one of Mal's favorite pastimes. "And, hey, if your mom _does_ decide to, you know, break out the old wand, invite me?" She put on a hopeful face, looking innocent.

"If I can convince mom, you're so there," Jane promised, smiling wide.

"Yay," Mal said, barely having to fake her delight. The wand was one step closer to being in her grasp.

Jane nodded to herself as she gathered her bag. "Bye!" she said, excited with her new locks as she waved to Mal.

"Bye," Mal murmured, staring after Jane with an amused smirk.

How could someone be so green, she wondered, unable to believe it. She had just showed Jane what it was like to deceive someone, yet Jane had no sense of mind to wonder if she were the one being deceived.

Auradon is a screwy place, she thought, more amused by the second, especially when she recalled Jane's face during the spell. She was having more fun than she thought she would, and she glanced in the mirror.

Mal jumped back, swinging around in alarm. Only to find the bathroom empty, only to hear her own heavy breathing reverberate off the walls. Slowly, Mal turned back to the mirror, unease in her gut.

Empty.

For a split second, Mal had seen Maleficent standing behind her, the smirk she wore cruel as her eyes glowed emerald.

Get ahold of yourself, she told herself, staring at her pale, shaken reflection, but she only shivered, recalling the morning of their departure from the island.

(Before she let her go to the limo, Maleficent had placed a gentle hand on Mal's shoulder, and Mal had tried not to let her shock show. "Oh daughter mine," her mother had said, smiling sweetly, "I almost want you to fail. The torture that would be inflicted on your little minions... Their screams would be so sweet." Her smile turned cruel.

Steeling herself, Mal had left her mother in her tower, feeling cold eyes on her back and hearing the phantom echoes of laughter.)

Blinking out of the memory, Mal took a breath, steeling herself once more. That's not going to happen, she told herself, glaring at her reflection, her own words of _we're getting that wand_ echoing in her head.

Purpose remembered, Mal left the bathroom, making her way to the boys' dorm with her head held high.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title take from "The Story" from the Grey's Anatomy musical episode... because I don't know who sings the original song and I'm too lazy to look it up lmao
> 
> Sooooo the jockstrap scene. I know they were probably wearing compression shorts or something similar for tourney in the movie, but I just. couldn't NOT write that scene as is because I am terrible and a child and cracked myself up, sorry. But, c'mon, everyone needs to admit that Jay would think that, right? [he'd also pop a boner at the thought of Ben in one, but hey, that's getting ahead of the story.] Do youngbloods even have to wear jocks in school/gym nowadays?
> 
> [Oh well, my story, my rules, whoops]
> 
> Also, please don't badmouth Audrey, okay, she is precious and my child who only knows her worldview, okay, she's got decent reason to act like she does, okay, she is my sassy princess okay don't be mean to her or I'll cry
> 
> Chad, on the other hand, can take all your badmouthing and should because he is a poophead [and a Karma Houdini, wtf movie, do I have to do everything!?]. Whoops. [getting ahead of myself there, yikes]
> 
> Also, I think what's tripping me is my compulsive need to stick as close to canon as I can re: the movie, so I'm just... not gonna do that anymore. [because I can't keep writing these long-ass, soul crushing chapters I can't I can't someone just punch me in the face] Yay?
> 
> Also also, I'm not focusing on their actual classes for a reason. Namely because I don't want to lol I think we all have had enough of schoolings for a while, yes? Besides, focusing on classes would mean me actually having to come up with names of those classes, and we all know I am lazy and unable to come up with names that don't come from song lyrics.
> 
> [someone please tell me I'm not crazy for writing all this someone please tell me it's normal to put so much thought into a disney channel original movie fanfic please please what's left of my sanity beseeches you]


	7. Put my faith and trust in something new

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Core Four hate Auradon. Except sometimes. But they definitely hate it, especially the people. Except a certain few. But they definitely hate the people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me to my brain the past THREE MONTHS HOLY EFF: Excuse me? Are you looking at me? Did you rub my lamp? Did you wake me up? Did you bring me here? And all of a sudden you're walking out on me? I don't think so, not right now. You're getting your wishes, so sit down!
> 
> Disclaimer: The Genie of the Lamp does not appear in this story.
> 
> Another Disclaimer: Your author might have gone a bit mental [more so than usual] since y'all've last met. Whoops.
> 
> Okay so. Silliness out of the way (hopefully), let me first say how deeply sorry I am for the lack of update. I've lost my mind, clearly. SECONDLY, I am sorry for the lack of update. My brain obviously hates me. I just want a new one, you know, one that isn't damaged or anything. A brain that isn't hardwired to kink filth when compromised and crap. A healthy brain, wow, can you imagine it??
> 
> [Hint: I can't imagine it]
> 
> [Coincidentally, if any of you beautiful weirdos are (still) subscribed to me as an author on this site, just, uh. just ignore notifications for any newly published works. you know, if any happen to pop up. unless, you know. you like gross indulgent kink. so. there's that.]
> 
> Anyway. Again, I cheated with some scenes by using dialogue from the movie, but I've definitely tweaked a lot of things as well. I went a little more into the history and customs and things, but hopefully not so much as to bore people [I try so hard to rear back with that; I tried so hard and got so far but in the end it doesn't even matter]. Let's see, what else...
> 
> Oh yeah. If you see a line of dialogue "[like this]," that means the POV character is speaking another language. As I only speak English and broken Spanish, I'm not gonna pretend to know how to write any other language, and I'm not gonna use google translate because, hey, I don't like to half-ass things [I mean, I do half-ass things all the time, but only when it concerns me and not, you know, a part of someone else's culture].
> 
> Oh, so the sex scenes. Bwahahahaa. I'm not even gonna say anything anymore. Buckle up, hunker down, have fun. Take some notes, talk to me after class, be ready to explain everything wrong with them for the quiz next week.
> 
> Disclaimer: Nothing is happening next week.
> 
> Oh but wait. Okay. One of the sexytimes includes an adult with a minor [it isn't what you think] but I didn't tag for it. [Speaking of tagging, why didn't one of you boogers tell me I hadn't tagged Mal/Jay or Mal/Carlos, for shame on us all]. If anyone really wants me to tag it, tell me and I will. Nothing really major occurs in the scene, minus some praise kink and uh, foursome [well, technically fivesome?? but again, it isn't what you think] stuffs, so hopefully it won't be too squicky for readers [hopefully the context will ease that. If not, yeah, I can tag, just tell me.]
> 
> Actually, IDEK if my tags are correct and I didn't use many this chapter yikes. For instance, Jay is suffering from internalized SOMEthing, but fuck if I know what to call it [it isn't homophobia, tho, I know that wouldn't be correct because, lbr, Jay loves ass and cock as much as he loves tits and pussy]. I'm not articulate. Like. At all. So if I need to tag for something I've overlooked, please tell me so!
> 
> Say the next sentence with me: Unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own! Congrats, thanks for your participation. But again, please let me know if I've made any mistakes; my eyes, how tired they are [maybe I need new glasses ugh]. So yeah, I might have missed some things. [because this chapter kicked my ass okay, I split it and it's STILL over 50k what the actual fuck self who allowed this]

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. For ten years, he lived as a hideous beast in a self-imposed exile until a courageous young woman with a pure heart broke the curse upon the prince, transforming him and all who lived in the castle human again. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince remained spoiled, selfish, and unkind. One summer's day, the prince and his love traveled to a summit of the royalty and nobility from across the lands, all of whom had been marked with grief once upon a yesteryear, and all in attendance faced the new horizon with wariness; they did not wish to see those of their line bear the hardships they themselves had overcome. And it was here that the young prince concocted an idea. He suggested banishing all those perceived as evil to their own island, a prison away from anything good, even going so far as to suggest those in death be brought back for further humiliation. As the summit weighed the decision, the prince waited patiently, secretly hoping his proposal would pass, as he wanted all those who wronged him and his kind to pay. He believed simple imprisonment, death even, was too good for them, that they must suffer as he had suffered; they must see their world, all they hold dear, ripped from them as it was ripped from him. And so with the summit's majority in favor of such a cruel decision, the prince's suggestion became reality, and with it, came the prince's nomination for high king, despite the prince being unused to the heavy weight of the crown. However, the prince knew if he could rule over the united lands, so united because such a horrible suggestion indeed became reality, without any foul ups, he could rest easy and exact his rule over all the kingdoms, becoming greater than the beast within.

As the years passed without incident, he basked in his pride and filled himself with hope, for who would ever confront a beast?

———

Mal jolted awake, blinking as she gathered her bearings, taking in the sunshine and crisp air and the feeling of being in a foreign land. She glanced around, remembering that they were at lunch, that they had decided to try eating outside in the sun for a change.

They had procured a table, Mal and Carlos sharing one bench while Evie and Jay shared the other. Carlos had his laptop open, typing away as he glanced at the books sprawled out in front of him every now and then, and Evie split her attention between touching up her face and running her hands in Jay's hair, who happened to be lounging on the bench with his head in Evie's lap.

"You okay, M?" Evie asked, worry creeping into her voice, her makeup forgotten as she studied Mal.

Letting out a small sigh, grounding herself, Mal shrugged, running her hand through her hair. "Fine. Just weird dreams." More like nightmares, she thought, remembering a vain little prince cursing the world around him.

"Weird as in visions or weird as in shouldn't have eaten that?" Jay asked, not bothering to get up from his spot, blindly reaching for something to snack on, his hand landing on an apple.

"Weird as in this history of Auradon stuff is giving me a headache," Mal answered, glancing down at her sketchbook, narrowing her eyes on the rose she had drawn. Immediately, she began to fill in the petals, turning it black and grey.

Carlos huffed. "I told you you didn't have to read any of that. I'm fine with doing the reports."

"You know, when I claimed you as assignment fulfiller, I didn't think you'd be so enthusiastic about the role," Mal commented, raising her eyebrow at Carlos and smirking when his cheeks tinted pink.

"It gives me something to do," he mumbled, typing furiously, frowning slightly as Jay snickered.

Mal pressed her lips together at that, sharing at glance with Evie, but neither spoke. They didn't need to hear it from Jay to know that Carlos was restless in the morning and before bed with no chore list to complete.

Mal knew it the same way she knew that Evie peered over her shoulder whenever she did something considered "unladylike," as if she were waiting on Grimhilde's berating words. Mal knew it the same way she knew Jay paused before entering his dorm room, his hands traveling to his pockets as if he expected to find Jafar on the other side.

Not that Mal could judge, as she found herself avoiding mirrors or reflective surfaces lest she see her mother again.

"You know," Carlos murmured, mostly to himself as he frowned at one of the many pages opened around him, "this sounds too fake. I know nothing about building and ruling a kingdom, but this definitely sounds fake."

"History's written by the winners," Jay said, as if he were reciting something heard too often, and he sat up, a little frown on his face as he took a bite out of the apple.

"So you think that dumb way of writing is to mask a historical cover up?" Mal asked. She could see it, even without her dreams telling a different story, given who the top of the crop were here in Auradon.

Evie hummed, attention on her mirror. "It's an established way of controlling your subjects," she said as she turned her head this way and that. "Of course, back during my mother's rule, as well as before that, not many people could read that sort of language; a great deal of people could barely read at all. It was mostly conveyed through word of mouth." Placing the mirror in her makeup box, Evie smiled at them, batting her eyelashes at Jay.

Grinning, Jay took Evie's hand in his, kissing the back of her hand. "So what changed?"

"A boy named Cornelius Robinson," Evie said, matter-of-fact. "Apparently a child prodigy, he's responsible for the technological and educational reform across the entire land of Auradon."

Carlos smiled. "You're such a nerd."

"Look who's talking," Jay said, grinning.

Rolling her eyes at the fools before her, Mal closed her notebook. "And how long ago was that?"

Evie shrugged. "According to the history books? About three years before the island was created. Well, that's when he began gaining major notice."

"Enough to be invited to the summit," Carlos said, peering down at a page in one of the books. He pushed it toward Mal. "Says he was the youngest person there."

"A young tech genius, huh," Jay commented lightly, barely concealing his smirk as he glanced at Carlos.

"Interesting," Evie agreed, unconcerned with letting her own smirk show.

Snorting, Carlos returned his attention to the laptop. "Hush."

Jay and Evie laughed, and Mal let a smile appear on her lips. Moments like this were usually far and in between, so she learned to appreciate them in the moment.

The moment faded however when she noticed Doug approaching them.

"Dwarf kin, your six," she murmured, taking in how both Evie and Jay stopped smiling.

Carlos didn't stop typing as he mumbled, "He's late today."

"Hey, guys," Doug greeted, his usual whenever he saw them together, waving his hand as if they couldn't see him.

Which is something he's probably used to, Mal thought, given the social structure of Auradon.

"Um, what are you guys doing?" Doug asked when no one really acknowledged him, brow creasing as he blinked down at the picnic table.

"Eating," Jay said as he took a bite out of the apple, crunching extra loud just to be annoying.

"Well, yeah, I can see that," Doug said, unfazed. "I mean, why so many books on the history of Auradon?"

"Because I'm writing our reports on it," Carlos said, barely looking away from his screen.

Brow creasing, Doug cocked his head to the side. "They're letting you do it as a group even though you're all taking the class at different times?"

Mal snorted. "Of course not."

Aghast, Doug stared at them with wide eyes. "But that's cheating!"

"Your point?" Jay asked, tossing the apple in the air and catching it.

"You could get expelled for that," Doug whispered fiercely.

"Whoa, wait, what?" Carlos said, his fingers freezing on the keyboard as he blinked at Doug. "Why?"

"Why?" Doug repeated, incredulous. "Because it's dishonest to claim someone else's work as your own."

Eyebrow raised, Mal glanced at the others before turning to Doug. "If the work gets done, who cares who does it?"

"That, that isn't how it works here," Doug said, clearly uncomfortable. "Here, you're supposed learn things on your own to, uh, better yourselves. Everyone is supposed to do their own work."

"Better ourselves?" Jay asked, and for one second, Mal saw that dangerous glint in his eyes, but it was gone too quickly for anyone unfamiliar with Jay to notice. "How is learning a bunch of history to a place that barely wants us supposed to better ourselves?"

Mal remained silent as she watched Doug process the question, a question she knew Jay formed to deliberately pick at Doug, at his insecurity, at his lineage.

Jay could be a right bastard when he wanted.

"Well..." Doug began, unsure but determined, "learning the history makes it so they can't use it against you. It can become a kind of weapon or armor." He shrugged. "And knowing it means not repeating it?"

Mal let out a huff of amusement. "We'd never be stupid enough to repeat history's mistakes, but nice try." At her words, at the casual way she dismissed the topic, both Doug and Jay relaxed, and that's all Mal wanted; no need to have any tension.

Clearing his throat, Doug turned to Evie. "So. Evie. Would you mind if I accompany you to class?" he asked, even adding a little bow.

Evie blinked, her eyes traveling to Mal.

Mal shrugged. She'd let Evie do what she wanted, considering that their normal parting routine consisted of Mal kissing each of them. They couldn't do that out in the open like this, though, certainly not in front of people, and Mal would sooner maim herself than appear weak in any way in front of Auradonians, even those like Doug.

No need to advertise her weakness, her ties to those she claimed as hers.

Letting the silence linger for a second too long, Evie turned to Doug with her brilliant smile. "I don't mind at all," she said, slowly batting her lashes, keeping a straight face as Jay and Carlos snickered quietly when Doug melted a little.

"Okay then," Doug said, delighted, and he smiled at each of them.

Jay caught Mal's gaze as Evie packed up, and Mal could tell that Jay was also annoyed with the fact that their usual parting couldn't be done, especially since he usually escorted Evie to class after lunch on their B block days.

"See you later," Evie said, smile faltering slightly, but when she turned to Doug, her charm was firmly in place.

With a wave to them, Doug let Evie lead the way.

"I can't tell if he's being annoying on purpose or not," Jay commented, biting another chunk out of the apple.

Snorting, Carlos finished typing something before closing the laptop. "Betting he can't really help it, what with Evie's allure and all that."

"Look at you, using words like allure and shit," Mal said, a trace of a smirk forming on her lips as Jay grinned at Carlos' annoyed huff. "I wouldn't worry about Evie; she still keeps her scissors and a vial of acid in that makeup box of hers." At the memory of _why_ Evie kept acid in her possession, Mal nearly scowled.

Thinking about Grimhilde still boiled her blood.

And unluckily for her, Jay noticed her change in mood. "What's wrong?" he asked as he got up; his class was close to starting, and Mal was grateful.

"Nothing that can't be fixed later," she said, speaking her half-truths again, but she was hesitant to talk about that particular topic, considering the boys didn't know that little detail about Evie's life yet; it wasn't exactly Mal's to tell, even if she did claim them all.

Before Jay could argue with her, like he was wont to do when he sensed her hesitancy, Mal continued speaking. "You're gonna be late, Jay."

Jay pressed his lips into a thin line, no doubt cursing the attendance policy and Mal's stubbornness. "Fine," he said, but judging by his expression, he didn't deem the conversation over.

I'm not the only one who's stubborn, Mal thought as she watched him leave, making a mental note to check with Evie.

"Is it something really bad?" Carlos asked as he packed up, swallowing as he glanced at Mal.

"It's something that won't happen again," Mal said. Because she could speak the truth about that, because she vowed that, no matter what happened after Maleficent received the wand, she would maim Grimhilde's hands beyond all repair. At the very least.

Carlos didn't say anything to that, merely nodded a little, and kept packing up. "I'll still finish the reports. I'll just add and subtract a few things so it seems like four different papers." He looked to her for approval, shouldering his overstuffed bag.

It can't be helped, she thought, knowing that Carlos needed the busy work to distract his mind since he wasn't used to having so much free time, and she nodded her assent. "Just try not to get carried away," Mal said, and her hand twitched, used to traveling to his hair, but she was aware of the outside world here; she kept her hand still.

Carlos nodded, lingering a little too long before turning and walking to his class, and Mal could see that he was unnerved by the change in parting tradition.

That settles that; eating out in the open blows, Mal thought as she too made her way to her class, already in a foul mood.

———

The moment they walked into the chemistry lab, Evie knew something was different.

Her eyes scanning the room, she spotted an older man sitting where the professor usually sat, and it puzzled her.

"Who's that?" Evie asked Doug as they made their way to their table, her eyes never leaving the man.

Doug followed Evie's gaze, and he hummed. "That's Mr. Deley. He's the regular teacher. We had a substitute last week. Did, did I forget to mention that?" he asked, clearly nervous.

Evie nodded as she gave a little affirmative hum, but she wasn't put off by that fact. Evie wouldn't blame Doug for getting lost in her presence, and besides, professors were professors. She was unconcerned.

"Doug," she began, opting instead to discuss a much more important matter, "you know royal lineages, don't you?" She'd done her fair share of research, of course, but the ponderous tomes on lineages and histories of past and current royal houses as well as the patents of nobility across the lands did not tell her who was available for marriage.

Blinking at the change in topic, Doug nodded. "I mean, I'm no expert, but I could probably tell you who's who in Auradon Prep."

Perfect, she thought, smiling for him, giving him unneeded incentive to reveal any information she wanted. "Who's who _and_ who they're dating?" Evie asked.

Huffing in amusement, Doug nodded. "As that's a topic that most people rarely stop talking about, sure."

Evie chuckled. Poor little Doug, she thought as she opened her notebook. Clearly he didn't understand what being royal meant; forming alliances and strengthening bonds with other kingdoms is practically in the job description, so of course those at Auradon Prep would be especially concerned with who was dating whom.

"Why the sudden interest?" he asked.

Evie smiled innocently, letting her gaze travel the classroom, landing on a certain boy she'd seen plenty of times around campus but had never learned his identity. "Just wondering if he's in line for a throne," she said, smiling sweetly as she made a subtle gesture to the boy.

"Chad?" Doug asked, following her line of sight, and a corner of his mouth turned upward, almost in defeat, and he glanced at her again with a small sigh. "Cinderella's son."

Evie's smile vanished, surprise painting her features as she looked at the boy. " _That's_ Chadwick Leopold?" she asked, wide eyed and trying not to stare. Please tell me he's available, she thought, studying the boy. A descendant of the House of Coburg was _sure_ to impress her mother.

Doug let out a huff of amusement, quickly covering it with a cough when he noticed Mr. Deley look toward them. " _Chad_ ," he corrected Evie in a whisper. "No one calls him Chadwick. He also garnered the nickname Prince Charming Jr. in primary school." He gave Evie a look. "Or more like, insisted on it."

Mr. Deley crossed to the front of the class, writing something on the board.

Quieter, Doug whispered, "Chad might have inherited some of the charm, but he doesn't have a lot there _there_ , if you get what I'm saying." He looked pointedly at how Chad was staring off into space, not even paying attention to what Mr. Deley was saying or writing on the board.

Who cares, Evie thought, already planning a wedding in her head, already deciding which seduction route to take. "That's workable," she said, letting out a dreamy sigh. Now all she needed to know was if he was taken or not; anything else could be tolerated.

"Evie," Mr. Deley called, startling her, and perhaps worse, drawing Chad's attention to her startle. "Perhaps this is just review for you." He stared at her, barely containing a frown, clearly disapproving of her presence in his class. "So tell me, what is the average atomic weight of silver?"

"Atomic weight?" Evie repeated, trying to comb her brain for the method to help her discover the answer, unable to clearly think now that Chad was looking at her like that. "Uh, well, not very much, I mean, it's an atom, right?" she said, mainly to give herself some more time to think, and what professor hadn't been charmed by her before?

Chad laughed, his smile infectious and dimples gorgeous, causing Evie's heart to race.

I made him laugh, she thought, pleased, and she wondered what she could do to see that smile again.

Mr. Deley, on the other hand, was not as impressed, and he gestured for her to join him before the board.

Oh no, I can't make a fool of myself now, she thought, panicked as she deftly secured her mirror into her hand. Thank God it doesn't take a rhyme to ask it a question, she thought as she walked to the board, trying to be as charming as possible.

Either he hid it very well or Mr. Deley was immune to her charms as he presented her with the chalk, looking at her expectantly and with disdain.

I'll show you, she thought as she placed her hand on the chalkboard's ledge, smiling sweetly when Mr. Deley didn't seem to notice. "Let's see," she said, playing coy, "How do I find the average atomic weight of silver?" Her smile turned genuine as she noticed the mirror answer her question.

Okay, magic mirror, let's show this non-believer, she thought as she read the numbers aloud, writing them down as they appeared on the mirror's surface, all while memorizing the formula so that she'd be prepared should she get called on again. "Which, Mr. Deley, would give us one-oh-seven point nine... amu," she finished, smiling in triumph at the bewildered look on his face.

Clearing his throat, Mr. Deley grudgingly acknowledged that her method was correct. "I forget," he began, "always a mistake to underestimate—"

"A villain?" Evie finished, keeping her smile despite the urge to lash out and _cut_ rising. "Don't make it again," she said, impressed with herself for keeping most of the bite out of her voice as she tossed the chalk back at him, delighting in his affronted expression.

As she returned to her desk, she noticed Chad smiling at her, his hand holding out a piece of paper, offering to her, which she gladly took. She kept it close to her chest even as she sat down, mindful of Doug's curious glances her way, and it was only when Mr. Deley began lecturing did she unfold the paper, as Doug's attention had been elsewhere.

_Meet me under bleachers at 3_

Looking up from the note, Evie's gaze met Chad's, and she held back a sigh as she took in his smile. Gathering her wits, she simply nodded, smiling back, and her heart raced as Chad's smile widened.

Finally, some progress, she thought as she propped her chin in her hand, head filling with seduction and wedding plans as she gazed into Chad's eyes for the rest of the class.

—

It took a lot of convincing for Mal to let her come alone, but Evie managed, especially since she pointed out that she was going to have to use her cute little princess routine to seduce Chad, and Evie knew how much Mal disliked that.

("I'm all for deception," Mal had said, rolling her eyes, "but reducing yourself to something beneath _you_ is hard to stomach." Before Evie could say anything to that, Mal continued. "But I know what snagging a prince means to you, so I'll allow the idiot to touch you."

Mal cupped Evie's chin, her thumb brushing against Evie's lips. "Just remember who you belong to," she said sweetly, causing Evie's knees to buckle.)

Evie smiled as she made her way to the bleachers, Mal's words fluttering around in her chest, and she was so grateful that Mal understood, at least a little, that she had to please her mother.

Chad arrived the same time as she did, and Evie was struck with how gorgeous he was, how he looked like he stepped out of one of those old books about princes and princesses and true love mumbo jumbo.

"Right on time," Chad said with a smile. "I like that." He took her hand in his, his thumb smoothing a circle across her skin.

Trying not to get lost in his eyes, Evie smiled coyly. "You wanted to see me?" Even as she said the words, she couldn't believe he had taken an interest, that he had called her here.

Instead of answering right away, Chad merely stared at her, a smile as charming as his nickname on his lips. "Is everyone at home as pretty as you?"

Elated, Evie found herself blushing. "Some say I'm the fairest in the land," she said, shyly moving closer, her hand on Chad's chest, wondering how he preferred his girls, how he preferred to fuck. "How many rooms in your castle?" she couldn't help but ask as she moved her hand across his chest, settling it on his shoulder.

"Oh, too many to count," Chad said with a chuckle, taking her hand off of his shoulder to hold it in his again. "You really nailed that chemistry problem today." He sounded impressed, causing Evie to beam. "You're gonna have all the nerds in love with you."

Evie's smile faltered. The wording he used... It didn't bode well for her plan, and her mother's voice entered her mind: _men don't want their women to be smarter than they are._ "I'm not that smart," Evie said hastily, trying her hardest to distract him with her looks. 

He wouldn't care about her brains if he were too busy fucking her.

"Oh, come on," Chad said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, really, I'm not," she insisted, panicking a little. She can't lose his interest, and she needed to think quick. "But I'm, I'm really good at sewing and cooking and cleaning," she said, pleased with herself for changing the topic. "You know, like your mother, Cinderella."

Evie smiled, leaning in and subtly sticking her chest out, showing him how much she _wasn't_ like Cinderella.

Though he gave her a once over, Chad still didn't seem convinced, and Evie grew desperate.

"See this?" she asked as she revealed her magic mirror, amused at his confusion. "If I ask it where something is, it tells me."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked, eyes wide with both disbelief and wonder.

"No," Evie answered, charmed by how he could still be so gorgeous with such a silly expression on his face.

She blinked when he reached for the mirror, holding it close to his mouth. "Where's my cell phone?" he asked it, and then he pressed it against his ear as if it were a phone itself.

Not a lot there _there_ , she thought, amused as she remembered Doug's words. It didn't really matter, just as long as he held his title. Trying to be as cute as she could be, Evie tapped on his arm, drawing his attention. "It won't work for you, silly," she informed him, gently taking the mirror out of his hand.

She already tested it with Carlos and Mal, as Jay had refused to touch it, and it seemed like only those capable of magic could ask the mirror a question and expect an answer. And as she hadn't gotten that particular _sense_ from Chad...

Chad looked unfazed, giving her a little shrug. "No biggie," he said, his grin as charming as his smile. "My dad will just get me a new one."

Unable to stop herself, Evie leaned in, once again letting her hand rest on Chad's chest, biting her bottom lip as she looked up at him through her lashes. "Prince Charming," Evie sighed out, even though the title prince hadn't been used for a few decades. No, Christopher Rupert Coburg was now a _king_ , and he'd sired the prince standing before her now.

"Yeah," Chad said, his grin still in place, and he leaned in a fraction. 

"Shall we..." Evie paused, pulling out some of her old tricks, hoping they worked enough to get them somewhere private and alone and naked. "Shall we head somewhere else? Somewhere... nice?" She slowly bat her lashes, pressing into him a little more.

Chad's grin faltered a little as his gaze flickered down her body before settling on her eyes again. He cleared his throat. "Yeah. I'd really like to _talk_ , but..." He sighed as he moved away from her, leaving her alone and cold. "I'm just swamped." His figure, hunched over with his head bent as he leaned on the bleachers, looked remorseful, so depressed.

He looked like she felt.

"Unless..." Chad said, his voice trailing as he picked up his head.

"Unless?" Evie repeated, hope rising. She needed to snag a prince, and since Chad was the only one who both didn't have a girlfriend and had actually showed interest in her, she needed to make sure she kept Chad looking, needed him to like her, to fuck her, so that she could keep him.

Chad turned to face her, his charming smile in place once more. "If you could knock all my homework out along with yours, then maybe we could get together sometime and... hang." With that last word, his smile turned into a grin as he offered his rucksack, and his eyebrows rose ever so slightly. 

Evie blinked, gaze quickly traveling from Chad's face to his bookbag and back, and swallowed. "Okay," she said, trying to smile for him. It's just homework, and with the mirror I can complete it faster, she thought as she took the bag from him. She'd do anything, if his expression meant what she thought it meant.

"Thanks, babe," Chad said with a smile and a wink. "Tourney calls." He gave her a small wave as he turned and left.

"Bye," Evie said with a sigh, watching him walk toward the gym. Perhaps she could get Carlos and Jay to tell her all about Chad once tourney lets out, but first, she had to finish Chad's homework; perhaps, when she'd deliver it to him tonight, he'd take her into his room and fuck her in gratitude, in which case she'd do her damndest to make sure sex with anyone else was out of the question for him.

If she could fuck Jay into exhaustion, she could certainly fuck Chad the same.

As her mother had told her, her cunt could be the greatest weapon a woman possessed, and Evie was ready to ensure her place by Chad's side, as his future queen consort.

The only thing left to do was tell Mal.

Wincing slightly at the thought — she had no idea how Mal would react, after all — Evie hefted the bag, readjusting it in her arms, and made the trek back to the dorms.

—

"He told you to do _what_?" Mal demanded as soon as Evie finished recounting the meeting.

Trying not to wince, Evie spoke. "He didn't tell me, he _asked_." She hoped the distinction would mollify Mal at least a little.

But of course, luck would not have it. "The fuck is the difference?" Mal asked, expression still furious.

"Mal, please, it's the easiest way for me to be alone with him! And, with my mirror, it'll take no time at all to finish," Evie said quickly, wondering what she could do to ease Mal's anger, wondering how she could make Mal see the importance of Chad's title, of his royal line.

She didn't want to actually beg, hated begging, but for this cause, it might just be needed.

Despite the fury still present on her face, in her whole body, Mal took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she released it. When she opened them, they were still intense, but the fire, the emerald, was muted as she studied Evie.

Evie held her breath.

"Fine," Mal said quietly, more reserved now. "But," she continued before Evie could say anything, her finger pointed in warning, "if he puts one toe out of line, I will not hesitate remove it from him."

Swallowing, Evie nodded, the condition agreeable and, in her opinion, pointless. Chad was Christopher and Cinderella's son, after all, so what harm could he possibly do, especially to her?

Mal's hand on her cheek brought Evie out of her musings, and Evie closed her eyes when Mal pressed their lips together, melting a little into the kiss.

"I'll leave the task of telling the boys to you," Mal said when they parted, a slight smirk on her lips, undoubtedly at the dazed expression Evie knew she wore.

"Always giving me the hard jobs," Evie murmured, eyelashes fluttering as Mal's thumb brushed against her skin.

"Good thing you're competent," Mal said, pressing a kiss to the corner of Evie's mouth before returning to her bed.

Chest and stomach fluttering, Evie smiled, her gaze traveling to the window, taking in the atmosphere of the campus outside. It seemed that, when this was all over, she'd have a prince for her mother and Mal and the others for herself.

And she didn't want anything more.

—

Evie decided that she liked the sun.

Not only did it provide her skin with an excellent glow that highlighted everything about her beauty, but it was _warm_. It was everything her mother's drafty old castle wasn't, was everything that windowless room wasn't, and she basked in the difference.

She didn't know how Mal felt about it, not truly, but when she had announced that she would do her and Chad's homework outdoors, at the lunch table they claimed as theirs, Mal had merely shrugged and followed, toting her backpack and sketchbook.

(Evie had a sneaking suspicion that Mal only accompanied her because the boys were at tourney practice, and Mal didn't want Evie out on the campus alone, especially after meeting Chad; when it came to Mal's possessiveness and protectiveness, Evie wouldn't complain.)

Every now and then, when Evie would look over to make sure she was okay, she'd find Mal lost in thought as her pencil traveled across the page, but Evie never saw unease or discomfort on Mal's features.

Perhaps she's growing to like the sun as well, Evie thought as she smiled to herself, small and secretive.

"E," Mal said quietly, abrupt as it was, attention still on her sketch, "ask that mirror of yours what Maleficent's doing."

Evie's brow furrowed in confusion, but she did as told. "Magic mirror, show me Maleficent's location." The mirror's surface rippled, and the island appeared. Evie frowned; it usually showed her more specific things than that. "Magic mirror, show me what Maleficent is doing right now." The mirror's surface shimmered for a moment, but the island still remained in its glass. "It... won't tell me."

This was the first time the mirror had failed her, and it happened when _Mal_ wanted to know something. She looked at Mal, nervous and anxious.

"Ask it about Jafar," Mal said, expression neutral.

"Magic mirror, show me what Jafar is doing right now." Evie watched as nothing changed. "I don't understand..." It was frustrating, and she gripped the mirror tighter, willing it to change.

Pausing, Mal looked up, blinking at her. "E, it's fine. It was just an experiment."

"Oh?" Evie said, blinking herself, confused and curious. Mal was never one for experiments, after all.

"Just to make sure the barrier still worked," Mal clarified, glancing down at pages before her.

Swallowing slightly, Evie felt something twist in her stomach at Mal's faraway look. "What's happened?" Did something happen that she'd miss?

"Paranoia, I guess." Mal rolled her eyes as she stretched. "These dreams are getting extra annoying."

Placing the mirror on the table, Evie nodded sympathetically; she'd hear Mal awake with a gasp sometimes, and she could relate. After all, most nights, Evie dreamed of her mother's castle. "You thought that they could be the cause?"

"Paranoia," Mal said with a wave of her hand, clearly done with the topic as she returned to sketching whatever it was in her notebook.

Taking the hint, Evie also returned to Chad's homework, resolute to have it completed before tourney let out in the hopes of getting some alone time with Chad and sealing the deal.

(She was prepared for the seduction, thankful that she had plenty of decoction to prevent any unwanted pregnancy; it certainly helped that they were in Auradon now, providing plenty of pure ingredients needed for not only that decoction but for several others in her mother's spell book.)

"Hello, ladies," Ben called, bringing Evie out of her musings but also bringing a smile to her face.

He was so pretty, after all.

"What are you doing here," Mal said flatly, suspicion on her features.

Evie held in a sigh. Sometimes, Mal had no tact. "What she means to say is: why aren't you at tourney practice?"

Ben didn't seem to need the clarification, as he didn't seem offended. "I had a meeting with some council members. Didn't think it'd be over so quickly, to be honest." He chuckled, clapping his hands together as he looked thoughtfully at them.

Evie smiled. She liked Ben — and not just for the title and status that came with him; no, she actually liked the look of his face, the way he held himself. She didn't know why, but she could see Jay's strength in his bearing, Carlos' hesitant gentleness in his smile, and Mal's intensity in his eyes.

Perhaps she was imagining it, but nonetheless, she liked Ben. Too bad he was taken. And too bad she couldn't cause a scene in stealing him.

"The captain of the team playing hooky for some old stiffs," Mal said, a spark in her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitching upward the slightest bit. "How naughty."

Ben laughed. "Well, Coach did excuse me beforehand, so I don't know how naughty it really was. And I'm not the captain."

Evie blinked in surprise. "But I thought..." She closed her mouth, blinking, unable to believe she dared to _question_ the High King, and she felt herself blushing at how Mal's eyes narrowed at her.

Though his brow creased slightly by her silence, Ben smiled good-naturedly. "I'm only the co-captain. The actual captain isn't here this semester."

"Abandoned the team," Mal said, eyebrow raised as she feigned shock.

"No, nothing like that," Ben assured, but his smile told Evie that he understood Mal was joking. "It isn't uncommon for seniors to spend a semester traveling. Some say it enhances their education, and Aziz just happened to agree."

Evie had no idea who Aziz was nor did she really care. She doubted whoever he was would have allowed Jay and Carlos on his team so easily, not like Ben had, so in a way, she was glad Ben was acting captain.

Ben blinked down at the table, his attention turning on Evie, making her sit a little straighter. "That looks like a large workload. Do all your homework in one go? Brava to you, not even I do that." He smiled again, impressed.

Mal snorted, rolling her eyes at Evie's blush. "It isn't all hers," she said, frowning at her sketch.

And Evie paled. "M..." she whispered, hoping she was incorrect, hoping that Mal wasn't going to reveal anything.

"It's _Chad's,_ " Mal said, nearly spat.

"Mal!" Evie whispered fiercely, cheeks growing hotter as Ben's eyes snapped to her.

Mal blinked, seemingly realizing just who she revealed that information to, and her gaze drifted from Evie to Ben, grip on her pencil tightening, ready to jump in should Ben scold Evie.

Which he's definitely going to do, Evie thought, nervous and almost scared as she looked into Ben's green eyes.

"Evie," he began, brow knitting together, and Evie felt herself shrink, knowing she was about to get scolded, feeling her stomach knot as Ben took a step closer. "You shouldn't have to do his homework just to get his attention," Ben finished, looking for all the world as if he were deeply offended that she was in the situation, offended on _her_ behalf.

And Evie only blinked. "W-what?"

"You're not going to chew her out for cheating?" Mal said, and all her attention was now focused on Ben, gaze critical.

A slight frown tugged on the corners of Ben's mouth, and if Evie didn't know any better, she'd say he was _offended_ that they would think that of him. "As far as I'm concerned, Chad's the one cheating. He's been a student at this school longer than you have, and he should know the rules." Features softening, Ben took another small step forward. "He's taking advantage of your situation and intelligence."

"How do you know I'm intelligent?" Evie found herself saying, transfixed by Ben, by his expression, by his _presence_.

"Well, I've heard Doug praise you when it comes to chemistry," Ben answered with a smile, which softened the longer he looked at her. "But more than that, it's in your eyes."

That isn't fair; it only makes me what to steal you all the more, she thought, proud of herself for holding in her wistful sigh, but she did have to reach under the table for the fabric of Mal's pants in order to steady herself, and she was so grateful Mal let her. 

"I can talk to him, if you want me to," Ben began, expression too serious, too solemn, for Evie to take.

"No, no!" Evie said quickly. She wanted to explain that it didn't matter, exactly, if Chad were taking advantage of her; she only needed to marry him for his crown and castle, so that her mother might be appeased. After all, Chad could hardly replace Mal in her soul, could hardly replace Jay or Carlos.

But she could hardly say all that to Ben, in front of Mal no less!

"Down, princey," Mal said, actually sounding amused. "I can take care of Chad if things get out of hand." The promise in her voice nearly made Evie swoon, unconcerned that Mal had spoken to her notebook instead of them.

She grew nervous, though, wondering if Ben would take the threat seriously, as he should.

"Technically, I'm king, but that's just legality," Ben joked, smiling as if he hadn't heard the threat.

Or as if he doesn't think Mal would actually do it, in which case he's completely clueless, Evie thought, but instead of feeling pity or contempt, she found herself charmed by the notion, charmed by this boy who had faith in them when nothing gave him reason.

"Everyone calls you prince," Mal pointed out, propping her chin on her hand as she moved her pencil across the page.

"Old habits, and all that, I guess," Ben said with a light shrug, more interested in Mal's artistic skill than titles. "Once the coronation happens, I'm sure that'll change."

Even though his words were light, even though he wore a smile, something about Ben's expression made Evie's smile fade, and she studied him. Did he not want the crown? Is that why you brought us here, she thought, unsure if she believed it.

After all, Ben had seemed genuine in his welcome, and in his acceptance.

"Hey, you're really good at that," Ben said, leaning in just a fraction to see Mal's page.

It took everything for Evie not to shake her head. Giving Mal compliments only causes trouble, she thought, amused as she too glanced at what Mal was sketching: another black rose. Odd, she's been drawing those a lot lately, Evie thought, puzzled.

Mal paused, brow creasing as she looked from her sketch to Ben and back, and Evie tried not to smile.

"You should really think about bringing this talent into the art club. I could sign you up; what do you think?" Ben asked, expression hopeful.

"And take all the fun out of it?" Mal asked, covering her uneasiness well enough so that Ben would never see it, but Evie knew. Even the way Mal rolled her eyes couldn't completely mask it. "Of course, if you decide to do it anyway, what choice do I have?"

The words made Ben frown. "You always have a choice."

Mal huffed, eyebrow raised as she put her pencil down. "Choice as in you decreeing us here? Not much room for negotiation there."

Ben's frown deepened.

And Evie paled. "Mal..." she said, throat closing because Mal _didn't know_. She glanced nervously between them, and when Mal's eyes narrowed, Evie felt smaller than she'd ever been.

"Mal," Ben began, so upset it hurt to look at him, "you definitely had a choice. I made sure that was known when I composed my proclamation."

Mal looked at him blankly.

"We, we weren't read your decree," Evie began, heart racing in her chest at the _looks_ on both Mal's and Ben's faces. "On the island or when we arrived here. I only happened to read it in the library," she continued, hoping Ben wouldn't be angry, and she turned to Mal, hoping that _she_ wasn't angry, hoping that she would forgive Evie for her slight. "Mal, I should have told you; I didn't think you'd want to know after we arrived, but I should have—"

"Evie," Mal cut in, "it's fine." She placed her hand on top of Evie's, squeezing, and though her gaze was intense, it wasn't _angry_. "You're fine."

"Mal's right, Evie," Ben said softly, so sincere and supportive, it was unreal. "It wasn't your fault it wasn't read to you." As he said the words, his brow furrowed, clear that his mind was coming up with some type of solution to the situation.

It didn't matter to Evie; they could tell her it wasn't her fault all they wanted, but Evie knew, she knew — of course it was something worth knowing, so why hadn't she told the others, told _Mal_?

Clearing his throat, Ben stood a little straighter. "I could recite it to you right now," he offered. "Or would you prefer to wait for Jay and Carlos, so you can all hear it together? I know it won't make up for what's done, but—"

"We'll wait for Jay and Carlos," Mal said, her eyes on Ben, but her hand was still on Evie's. "Come by their dorm around seven thirty?"

"Of course," Ben said agreeably, but that brilliant smile of his didn't reappear on his face. "I _am_ sorry, Mal."

The sincerity that radiated off of Ben made Mal's lips twitch, and she squeezed Evie's hand some more. "What's done is done. Can't help that now." She gave Ben a little shrug. "And hey, I'll even think about joining that art club." She raised her eyebrow, one corner of her mouth turning upward just the slightest bit.

No longer holding himself as rigid, Ben smiled, nodding a little. "As long as that's what you want. I'll see you both at seven thirty." With a small bow, Ben turned and walked away.

His words left a silence hanging over them, and Evie held her breath as she studied Mal, as her gaze traveled from Mal's face to Mal's hand on hers and back again. Evie rarely saw Mal in such a state of concentration before, rarely saw the wheels turn in her head as if it were as plain as day.

Something Ben said had struck a nerve, struck something deep within Mal, but Evie had no idea what it could be. And that only made her feel worse, as Evie prided herself on being able to read those who claimed her, on being able to provide whatever they needed.

Now, though, she couldn't do any of that. And it _tore_ at her insides.

"Let's head back to our dorm," Mal said after a few moments, tone quiet and eyes faraway.

"Of course, Mal," Evie said, ready to give her anything she needed.

Blinking, Mal fixed her gaze on Evie. "Done enough of the stupid prince's homework?"

"Only a few problems left. It can wait," Evie assured, wouldn't dare dream of lying to Mal now.

Mal only nodded as she stood up, packing away her things, and Evie made quick work to follow suit.

If only she could see inside of Mal's mind, if only she had told Mal of Ben's proclamation beforehand.

At least she's waiting for me, Evie thought as she glanced at Mal through her peripheral vision, taking in how, despite the fact that Mal's face was turned away from her, Mal's body was shifted toward Evie, as if ready to attack any threat that would come near.

As soon as everything was all packed away, Mal started walking, and Evie kept her pace, all the while wondering what could be done to ease Mal's mood.

—

Once they were safely back in their room, Evie began fretting.

She put down Chad's rucksack, along with her own things, on the table, and she took a deep breath, wondering what would be the best course of action to pursue. A glance at Mal told Evie that she was still in her own head space as she faced the window, staring at nothing, and seeing her like that only made Evie's chest tighten.

"Mal," she began tentatively, standing straighter when Mal turned to her, "I really am sorry. I should have—"

"Stop," Mal murmured, and her gaze became focused, her eyes roaming over Evie's body, deliberating. "Come here," she said, not a command or an order, but also more than a mere suggestion.

It wouldn't have mattered; there was something about Mal's voice that always compelled Evie into action, and so she walked up to Mal, trying to keep herself from shaking, wondering what sort of punishment — punishment she rightly deserved — Mal had in store for her.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, Mal still deliberating and Evie still fidgeting in anticipation. "Trust me?" Mal asked after a moment, tone odd.

"Yes," Evie said, no hesitancy in her voice. Because why wouldn't she trust Mal?

Her answer made Mal pause, but only for a second before she nodded. "Stay still," she murmured, and she moved, walking behind Evie as her hands gently brushed along Evie's shoulders, her sides, leaving tiny tremors in their wake.

Heart pounding now that she could no longer see Mal, Evie waited. Mal's hands settled on Evie's waist, squeezing just a little before traveling to the zipper of her skirt, Evie's breath hitching as Mal slowly, so slow and _loud_ in the quiet of the room, unzipped her, and with gentle hands, Mal pushed the skirt down Evie's hips, letting it fall to the floor. Before Evie had time to properly process what Mal had done, Mal's hands were traveling up her back, brushing her hair onto her shoulders, splitting it down the middle so she could undo Evie's shirt as well. Mal gently pulled that garment off of Evie's shoulders, letting it join the skirt on the floor.

Mal made an appreciative hum, and Evie felt Mal's fingertips slide from her shoulders to her back, to the clasp of her bra, and Evie bit her bottom lip as she felt Mal undo that as well, as the quiet _click_ seemed to reverberate throughout the room. A gentle nudge from Mal sent the garment fluttering to the floor, and Evie had to resist the urge to cover up, especially when Mal moved again, standing in front of her with that calm gaze.

She wanted to speak, to ask Mal where this was headed, to ask why Mal was taking her time, being so deliberate, but the words were stuck in Evie's throat, her breath hitching again when Mal gently caressed her breasts, her touch warm and electric.

Mal's gaze flickered to Evie's before she focused again, giving her attention to Evie's covered legs. Slowly, Mal took a knee, and the sight — it almost looked like Mal was _bowing_ to her — was enough to make Evie's pulse quicken, to make her body shiver, to make her wet.

"Put your hands on my shoulders if you lose balance," Mal murmured as she began to take off Evie's shoes, and as she tugged off one, Evie's hands shot out, grasping Mal's shoulders perhaps a little too tightly. "You're so obedient," Mal said quietly, absentmindedly, as she glanced up, looking at Evie through her lashes. She took off the other shoe. "Are you like this with anyone else?"

"Never," Evie whispered, shivering again when she felt Mal's hands on her, felt how they caressed her thighs.

Mal hummed, a light and noncommittal noise, and she tugged Evie's tights, along with her panties, down, kissing Evie's exposed skin as she did. She looked up briefly when she felt Evie squeeze her shoulders again, but Mal remained focused on her task, whatever it was, as she removed the tights completely, leaving Evie uncomfortably nude.

Humming again, Mal stood, gaze surveying Evie like she was one of Mal's many sketches, and Evie shivered as Mal leaned in, her voice almost just a breath as she spoke. "Stay still," Mal reminded, tone hushed, lips ghosting over Evie's, and then Mal walked behind her again.

Evie stood there, nervous in her nudity, and listened to Mal's footsteps. Will she leave me here, will she let others see and mock me, she thought, shivering as Mal stopped at the door. Instead of opening, though, Evie heard the loud _click_ of the lock, and Evie tried not to turn around.

Mal had locked them in the room.

Her footfalls were quieter, but Evie could hear Mal moving behind her, moving to the table, and soon the scrape of the chair's legs against the floor filled the room.

What is she planning, Evie thought as her heart raced. She nearly jumped when Mal's hand gently grasped her elbow.

"Come," Mal said, voice almost a purr, gently leading Evie to the chair, guiding her down as Evie sat, and then Mal moved to the side, letting Evie see in front of her.

Swallowing, Evie stared at the floor length mirror, stared at her reflection staring back at her.

"Do you see what I see?" Mal asked, now standing directly behind the chair, her eyes on Evie's reflection.

Evie couldn't answer, her throat gone too dry, seeing herself flush in embarrassment, seeing her chest rise and fall in nervousness. Evie could not answer.

Her silence made Mal raise an eyebrow, but no other change occurred to her expression. "I see someone who belongs to me," Mal said, her hand resting on top of Evie's head, almost petting.

And Evie's breath hitched at the fire in Mal's eyes, at the possessiveness in her grip.

"I see someone worth more to me than any little prince could begin to understand. Or appreciate." Mal's hand gently traveled down Evie's cheek, caressing, all while her eyes never left Evie's reflection.

"Mal..." Evie barely managed to whisper, transfixed with the mirror.

Mal made a small shushing noise as she moved again, standing in front of Evie, her gaze drinking in the sight of Evie in the chair, nude.

Evie was wet already.

"You're going to watch yourself as I settle between your legs," Mal said as she kneeled, her hands caressing Evie's thighs, spreading them, "and I know you won't disappoint me." Emerald flickered in Mal's eyes, they were so heated. "Because you haven't yet."

Breath hitching, Evie swallowed as she watched Mal kiss along her inner thigh, and at Mal's raised eyebrow, Evie corrected her gaze, looked at herself in the mirror, watched in fascination as her mouth opened of its own accord, her cheeks reddening, when Mal kissed her cunt.

This is what they see, Evie thought, body shivering and chest rising and falling roughly as Mal began to lick and suck, teasing. This is what they see when they take me, she thought as she moaned, Mal's tongue lighting a flame within her.

Evie cried out as Mal pulled her closer, as Mal dipped and rocked her head into Evie's warmth, her fingers gripping Evie's thighs so tight it nearly hurt, but it only made Evie shudder, watching herself in the mirror as she writhed in Mal's grip.

She could see her scars, could see every roll and wrinkle in her body, but Evie had never seen herself look so... natural, so relaxed, so pleasurable. She moaned again when Mal hiked up her legs, throwing them over her shoulders as her tongue and lips tore Evie's nerves apart, as they dipped into her wetness and sucked at her clit, turning the flame in her belly into a blaze.

"I never get tired of your taste," Mal murmured, bringing her fingers to Evie's cunt, stroking her.

And Evie moaned, gripping the chair so hard her knuckles turned white, and Evie watched as her reflection rolled her hips, as she whined and panted and _shuddered_ at Mal's actions, watched as she nodded her head nonsensically, as she saw the needy _want_ on her reflection's face.

"I never get tired of your face when you come," Mal said, and with that, she brought her mouth back to Evie's cunt, pulling Evie so close as she rocked against that heat.

And it was too much, the sensations from Mal's mouth and the view from the mirror, Evie cried out, begging as she ground against Mal, ground her back into the chair, her mind and body on fire; she never knew looking in a mirror could stir something other than self-loathing in her before.

Mal's grip on her thighs tightened, and her pace, her sucks and licks, grew rougher, faster, and Evie groaned, mouth open in breathless pants as she came, her eyes locked on her reflection as her body shook with her release, as she whined when Mal didn't stop her assault right away, and Evie saw herself go boneless, saw her expression smooth out into contentment, saw how her face and chest flushed, saw how her stomach rose and fell as she tried to catch her breath.

She barely had the higher brain functions to actually think.

"Gorgeous," Mal murmured, kissing the inside of Evie's thigh. Slowly, her gaze traveled to Evie's face. "Look how wet you are. Don't you want to show Jay and Carlos?"

Evie moaned, nodding her head, mind too hazy to form words, especially with Mal looking at her like that while she's between her legs, her lips slick with Evie.

"Then let's walk you there, just like this," Mal said as she stood up. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, walking the halls, parading your wetness to anyone who'd look." Her hand traveled up along Evie's thigh, up her navel and torso and neck, stopping at her mouth, and when Mal's fingers touched her lips, Evie opened her mouth, taking them in, sucking.

And Evie whined, couldn't help but nod her head because she became _wetter_ , her cunt throbbing at the thought of being so open and displayed for all to see, to see just how much she was owned by Mal.

"You'll walk to their dorm just like this," Mal said, lightly and lazily thrusting her fingers in and out of Evie's mouth, "but I'll spell you so no one will notice." She removed her fingers, cupping Evie's chin instead. "Because no one is allowed to see you like this unless I will it." And her words were firm, her gaze intense, the promise clear.

And Evie _whimpered_ , leaning into Mal's touch, so aroused it hurt, and she wanted nothing more than for Mal to take her again, for Mal to instruct her or the boys; Evie wanted to be Mal's always.

"You're mine," Mal whispered, one hand in Evie's hair and the other tilting her chin up, "you're beautiful and deadly and mine." She kissed Evie, firm and passionate, filled with her promise.

And as she melted all over again, Evie began to believe Mal's words, began to feel them etched into whatever was left of her soul, and she was content.

———

"Jay," Carlos gasped out, a cross between a hiss and a whine, and Jay had to kiss him to keep quiet, the water running over them so deliciously warm on their skin.

"Told you to be quiet, Carlos," Jay whispered, grinning a little as he moved his hand faster, stroking both their cocks. "The walls sorta reverberate in here."

Though their skin was wet and slightly soapy, Carlos managed to get a good grip on Jay's shoulder, nails digging into the meat of his flesh. "N-not my fault you get horny after tourney." He bit his lip, arching into Jay's touch.

No, but you're usually not around after; Ben usually steals you, Jay thought as he kissed Carlos again, pulling him closer. He didn't want to dwell on that, though, and instead busied himself with focusing on Carlos, on Carlos' pleasure.

Being in the locker room showers was limiting in that they ran the risk of being caught, and the urgency that came with trying to finish quickly mixed with the lack of friction in general didn't leave them with many options. Not that it really mattered to Jay, as seeing Carlos' face in the heat of the moment was practically better than any act they did.

Of course, if he really wanted — and sometimes he wanted it bad, he _really_ did — to pick up Carlos and fuck him into the wall, Jay could always tap into whatever magic he possessed to keep them steady, to make sure no harm came to Carlos.

But Jay closed that door. Nailed it shut, even. Because if he opened it, even for a little bit, he knew there would be no way to close it again. He knew he'd have no chance at controlling whatever magic he unleashed.

" _Jay_ ," Carlos groaned, grinding his hips into Jay's touch, grinding his head against the shower wall, body tensing as he held onto Jay, mouth hanging open with breathless pants.

The sight was so delicious. "C'mon, Carlos," Jay urged, his hand stroking faster, firmer, "be my good boy, come for me."

Carlos' breath hitched, his nails nearly breaking skin as he came, body tense and shaking, mouth hanging open in his release, and fuck, Jay groaned at the sight, coming himself as he continued to stroke them, riding out his release with Carlos.

They stood still for a few moments, both of them shaking from their orgasm, and tried to catch their breaths. Jay held Carlos up, held him close, wondering — not for the first time — how he managed to deserve someone like Carlos, how he managed to deserve Evie or Mal. He wondered how he managed to deserve even a shred of the warmth they provided.

"We better finish here," Carlos murmured, but despite his words, he gave no indication of moving from his spot against Jay.

As far as Jay was concerned, they could stay like this, anyone who might walk in be damned, but he knew that if they didn't arrive back at the dorm, if they didn't check in, the girls might get a little antsy. So with a sigh, Jay nudged Carlos, pushing him away somewhat, and he began rinsing off forgotten soap from his skin.

"Don't think we should do that here anymore," Carlos said quietly as he finished washing.

Swallowing, Jay tried to remain calm. "Why not?"

"Two things," Carlos began, matter-of-fact, glancing at Jay with a raised eyebrow. "One, pretty sure I might clock out if coming stays that intense."

A startled laugh escaped Jay, and the relief washing over him was warmer than the water could ever be.

"And two," Carlos continued, this time with eyes downcast, with a quirk to the corner of his mouth that was embarrassment, "I don't think I can stay quiet here."

"Well, I'd say shower next to someone else, but I don't think that'll help matters," Jay said, crowding Carlos and leaning in for a kiss.

"Won't help _your_ matters," Carlos corrected with a raised eyebrow, but he leaned in for another kiss. "Though, I'll admit that might be problematic for me, too."

Jay smirked. "Color me shocked."

"Hush." Carlos stuck out his tongue, lightly pushing Jay away to focus on finishing their shower.

Jay merely grinned.

—

"No," Carlos said, deadpan and unconcerned as they made the trek back to their dorm, all freshly showered and squeaky clean.

"Not even a little bit?" Jay asked, unable to believe him. After all, even if he didn't feel the urge most times, Carlos had _eyes_ , right?

"Not even a little bit," Carlos confirmed, blinking at him. "Why, have you?"

Jay frowned, hands stuffed in his pockets to keep from swiping anything, even something meager, to distract himself, and debated whether or not to tell, to admit.

He must had taken too long because Carlos glanced at him, eyebrow raised. "You thought about fucking Ben?" he asked, pitching his voice low so any passer-by wouldn't hear him too well.

Well, fuck me, Jay thought, swallowing; it sounded so damning when said aloud. "Yes and no?" he ventured, but he had no real way of explaining it to Carlos because he himself didn't know what it was about Ben that tripped him up, that made him feel... _things_.

"Is that why you've been so angry?" Carlos asked, no judgment in his voice, merely the curiosity of a scientist. "I mean, I thought it was the whole magic thing, but that didn't account for the way you behaved around Ben. That whole jockstrap thing makes sense a little more now; you were trying to see—"

"Hey, genius boy, get out of scientist mode for a second," Jay said, resolutely refusing to acknowledge the warmth in his cheeks at the fact that Carlos had noticed changes in his behavior around Ben. He didn't know whether to laugh at Carlos' one track mind — a track that had nothing to do with sex — or bang his head against the nearest surface.

Carlos blushed a little, and he readjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "I'm just saying things make sense a little more now." He paused, lips pursed the slightest fraction. "You know, if you ask, I'm pretty sure he'd agree."

"I take it back," Jay said, deadpan, "you're not a genius at all."

Carlos hit his shoulder, frowning slightly. "I'm only calling it like I see it."

"Well, you're seeing it wrong." Jay frowned himself, wondering what on Earth went on in Carlos' head sometimes. "And since when do you notice this kind of shit?"

And really, the sooner they get to the dormitory, the better; Jay could collapse in his bed and just ignore the world.

"It doesn't take a genius to read people," Carlos said flatly.

"Actually, it does," Jay countered. He knew plenty of people that could not take a hint, the Dwarf kin being one of them.

Carlos leveled Jay a look, unimpressed with Jay's attempt at deflection. "It doesn't take a genius to see you're angry right now. Again. About Ben."

"[May Allah give me the strength, perseverance, and patience in this trial]," Jay practically groaned out, a headache forming as he readied himself to _argue_ about this. They were so close to the dorms; he just needed to walk faster.

But Carlos had stopped walking, staring at Jay with his head tilted to the side, brow furrowed slightly.

"What?" Jay asked, defensive.

"What was that?" Carlos asked.

Brow creased, Jay felt a chill settle over him, but he didn't know why. "What was what?"

"Whatever you said just now," Carlos said slowly, studying Jay.

Trying not to swallow, Jay did his best to speak calmly. "What I said...?"

"He spoke Arabic," Doug said, startling them as he came closer. He winced. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear."

"How much?" Carlos said, surprisingly fierce. Neither one of them had noticed him walking toward them, after all.

Doug shook his head. "No, no, my ears only perked up because I heard Arabic!" he assured, nervous.

"And why would they do that?" Carlos asked, blinking at Doug.

Relaxing now that Carlos had relaxed, Doug spoke. "Well, you see, Aziz is usually the only one who speaks it, and I thought for a moment—"

"Who's Aziz?" Carlos asked, cutting off Doug.

"Who's Aziz?" Doug repeated, incredulous. "You're on the tourney team, and you don't know—"

Jay cleared his throat. "C'mon, Carlos, the girls are gonna be pissed if we keep them waiting." He didn't really give Carlos time to answer as he grabbed Carlos by the arm, leading him away from Doug and the conversation.

Jay couldn't breathe, and he definitely couldn't handle that conversation in front of Doug.

They made quick progress to the dormitory, what with Jay walking double time and dragging along Carlos with him, and Jay relaxed a little, even though his heart still raced. He didn't enter the building, though, still feeling off-kilter.

"Jay?" Carlos said tentatively, the question in his voice cutting into Jay's skin.

He took in a deep breath before he turned to Carlos. "What?"

Though his face remained mostly blank, Carlos' eyes were alight. "What was all that about?" His eyes narrowed minutely when Jay opened his mouth, and he held up a hand. "You _know_ what I mean. The whole Arabic thing."

Breathing out harshly through his nose, Jay squared his jaw. "I didn't realize I spoke it, okay? My bad."

His answer confused Carlos, if the furrowed brow and tilted head meant anything. "So... you don't like speaking it?"

Jay shrugged. "The only reason I know it is because of my dad," he said, as nonchalant as he could. He didn't understand why he had issues talking about Jafar in front of the others _now_ , when he had perfected the feat years ago.

(He told himself that it had nothing to do with the fact that they now knew what he and his father did behind closed doors; in fact, he told himself that they _didn't_ know about it, that everything was still a secret and that everything was fine — a lie that barely convinced even himself.)

Carlos made a face, but his expression smoothed out just as fast. "And Aziz?"

The question actually made Jay snort — because _of course_ Carlos wouldn't notice, despite being on the tourney team. "He's the captain of the tourney team."

"I thought Ben was the captain," Carlos commented, actually surprised.

"He's only acting captain or whatever." When it looked like Carlos was waiting for more information, Jay sighed. "He's a senior, and seniors get to do traveling or some shit, so Ben's covering for him."

Carlos blinked at him. "And?" he prompted.

Cursing internally, Jay shoved his hands in his pockets, trying not to glare at the ground. "He's the kid of Aladdin and Jasmine."

He didn't know what the kid looked liked, didn't know what his father and mother looked like outside of stories, but Jay didn't want to know; he never wanted to meet them, the thought alone terrifying. They'd be too bright, too shining, just like the rest of Auradon, and Aziz wouldn't be as decadent as he was; Jay just knew that Aziz wouldn't have asked his father to bed him, and Jay didn't want to deal with the possibility of his secret getting out to _that_ family, to have them gloat and sneer and _shame_ him.

He didn't know why, but the thought of them finding out, of them knowing and judging, made his stomach churn worse than the thought of anyone else discovering his secret, save for Ben.

And worse than that, what if Aziz was like _Ben_?

Fuck, I think I'm gonna hurl, Jay thought as he dug his fingernails into his palms, the urge to go on a thieving stronger than ever before.

He only just barely remembered to clear his head of the thought, or else he'd use magic unknowingly again.

"It doesn't matter," Carlos said firmly, breaking the silence and clearing away Jay's thoughts. "Jay, it doesn't matter. We'll get the wand before he comes back, and we'll be gone."

"And if we don't," Jay whispered, heart skipping a beat, because if they don't, if they fail, the chances of Auradon, of Ben, learning his sins grew all the more, and then he'd be sent back to the island, back to his father, and he'd be without Mal and Evie and Carlos, wouldn't be around to protect them.

Carlos framed his face, cutting off his thoughts. "We. Will." Carlos said, adamant and clear, a promise he had no right in giving but had mollified Jay's uneasiness anyway. He held Jay like that for a few moments, studied his face, let Jay see his conviction. "C'mon," he said finally, softly, as his thumbs smoothed the very worry out of Jay's skin, "let's go."

Taking in a shaky breath as Carlos removed his hands, Jay stood straight, gathering his head, and nodded, letting Carlos take the lead.

Get it together, street rat; you can't let things trip you like that, Jay thought, berating himself as he followed Carlos into the dormitory, trying to ignore the way Carlos sent a few glances over his shoulder.

Jay refrained from sighing, keeping his hands securely in his pockets; if he didn't watch himself, he'd let his feelings, let his urge to steal, influence his subconscious into using magic again, and that's the last thing Jay wanted to add to his burdens.

As they neared their room, though, a sinking feeling settled in Jay's stomach once again, his throat going dry because he knew that kind of feeling. Hastily, jerkily, he grabbed Carlos' arm as he reached for the doorknob, earning a confused expression for his efforts.

"Something's up," Jay muttered, his heart racing as he stared at the door, keeping enough presence of mind not to crush Carlos' arm.

Carlos stared at him for an uncomfortably long second. "What do you mean?"

Jay swallowed, pulling Carlos closer to him, feeling like a battle was about to go down. "There's... there's magic on our door."

Eyebrows rising, Carlos glanced at the door, studying. "It doesn't _seem_ different," he said carefully. "You, you can feel something?"

Unable to lie about it anymore, Jay nodded. If only I could stop feeling it, he thought bitterly.

"Okay," Carlos said slowly, placing a hand on the one Jay had on his arm, "try to sense whose magic it is."

" _What_?" Jay blinked at him. Did he just say what I think he said, he thought, incredulous and more than a little nervous.

Carlos' cheeks turned red. "W-well, Mal and Evie said that they could sort of sense things? I didn't really ask questions, but if they can, you probably can, too."

Licking his lips, Jay stared at the door, wondering if he should really attempt to do what Carlos suggested. But he knew that, if he wanted to make sure Carlos wasn't in any danger, he'd have to do _something_ to figure why magic was placed on their door.

I just have no idea what I'm supposed to do, he thought, nerves fraying as he took deep breaths, closing his eyes in an effort to concentrate.

The magic didn't seem hostile, didn't seem alluring, felt different than the kind that had surrounded the wand — not as disciplined but fresh and crisp, determined and vaguely menacing.

Opening his eyes, Jay breathed out, "Mal..." and opened the door, the uneasy feeling still in his gut because _why_ would Mal spell their door?

Jay blinked, and then he quickly proceeded to usher Carlos inside the room before shutting the door again; he now knew the reason Mal had spelled it.

Sitting on their bed, biting her bottom lip, her naked body shaking and covered in a thin sheen of sweat, was Evie.

Jay's mouth went dry as he took in the sight, took in the way her cheeks were red from arousal instead of makeup, took in the way her stomach shakily rose and fell with each breath, took in the way her eyes were dark and wanting; she looked well fucked.

But the biggest detail Jay took in was the fact that the bright light of the of the room revealed several — more than Jay ever wanted to notice — faded scars peppered across Evie's body.

How had he not noticed that before? Fury welled up inside of him, and Jay almost spoke, almost rushed to Evie's side to demand the identity of the one who marred her, because he vowed that that person wouldn't have hands, at least, once he was done with them, but a hand on his chin stopped him.

Knowing the grip of that hand anywhere, Jay let that hand guide him, let it tilt his chin so that he was looking into Mal's eyes, and he saw the same anger he felt.

"Not now," she murmured, voice so quiet, her grip tightening only a fraction. "That isn't what she needs right now." And her words promised action, promised retribution, at a later date, but right now, she made it clear that they were only to focus on Evie.

He still burned to know her assailant, but Jay trusted Mal, and maybe more importantly, wanted to give Evie whatever she wanted.

"Good," Mal said, evidently seeing his resolve on his face, and she brought his lips to hers. "Make her feel something, but," she added as she turned to Carlos, and Jay took in his eagerness to give Evie whatever she wanted, "Carlos will use his mouth on her." She leaned in to give Carlos a kiss. "Don't disappoint me, boys."

Never, Jay thought as he quickly cut the distance between him and Evie, taking her face in both his hands and delivering a kiss to her lips, slow and firm and deep, his heart beating at the way she moaned at his touch.

This was something he could do, something he couldn't mess up.

Gently, he broke away from her, kissing her neck when she whined, and he maneuvered himself behind her, pulled her into him, his hands massaging her breasts before traveling down her sides, down to her thighs, and he spread them, glancing at Carlos as he approached the bed.

"Carlos is gonna make you come," Jay whispered into her ear, grinning when he felt Evie shudder, when he saw her bite her bottom lip. "You know how good he is with his mouth," he added as he glanced at Carlos again, taking in the way he flushed from both embarrassment and arousal.

And Carlos needed no further instruction to drop to his knees, his hands settling on Evie's thighs as he kissed his way to her cunt, his fingers caressing the skin he touched, causing Evie to _mewl_ , arching off of Jay as Carlos gave her the first teasing lick.

Jay gently pulled her back against him, one hand palming her breast and the other caressing her neck, his fingers trailing near her mouth. When Evie moaned, shivered at both his touch and Carlos' tongue, Jay gently eased a finger past her lips, and he let out a pleased hum when she immediately began sucking, her moan reverberating into his very skin.

Evie twitched, whining high in her throat, and Jay's eyes cut across the room to Mal, saw Mal's gaze on Carlos as she merely sat on the table with her legs crossed as she watched them, and Jay knew Carlos was fucking Evie with his tongue, was burying his face in her cunt.

Glancing down, Jay saw Carlos in action, saw how he pulled Evie by the thighs closer to his mouth, saw how his gaze flickered up for a few seconds before he closed his eyes again, in concentration, as he rocked into her, and Evie sang as best as she could with Jay's fingers in her mouth.

Unable to resist, Jay pulled his fingers away, replaced them with his lips, kissed her hard and deep, felt her hand reach up to grip the back of his head. He took her other hand, guiding it to Carlos' head, and together they gripped his hair, urging him on as Jay continued to kiss Evie, swallowing her moans, helping her roll her hips to meet Carlos.

Carlos must have added a finger or two because Evie _trembled_ , breaking their kiss to let out a high moan, her body tensing as her grip on both Jay and Carlos tightened, and Jay watched Carlos press closer, heard him swallow.

"Fuck," he murmured — it was a beautiful sight.

Slowly, gently, Jay eased Evie back, lying her on his bed so she could ride out her orgasm how she wanted, kissing along her breasts, her neck, her jaw, feeling her shiver. Once he got her situated, Jay scooted to the foot of the bed and hauled Carlos up, giving him a kiss, tasting Evie on his lips — fuck, she always tasted so good — as he eased Carlos back as well, lying him next to Evie.

Satisfied, especially when they pulled each other close for a kiss, Jay backed away, joining Mal near the table, and simply watched them. He watched Evie and Carlos regain their breath, a smile on his face at how at ease they were, and he glanced at Mal, more than willing to share his good mood with her, but he paused when he saw her expression, saw the tiny tick to the corner of her mouth as she stared at nothing.

And he remembered the uneasy feeling he had when he first approached the room, when he noticed the spell on the door.

"Mal," Jay began again, wondering if she'd answer him, wondering if she'd tell him what troubled her.

Mal's eyes cut into him, sharper than she probably meant, and she visibly took a calming breath. "Thanks for helping ease E's mind," she said quietly, features softening as she gazed at Evie and Carlos.

"Why did that need to happen?" Jay asked just as quiet, his own unease not quelled one bit.

"You hard?" Mal asked instead of answering, looking at Jay as if trying to decide which rotten piece of meat was the better choice. "Need to get off?"

"Kinda lost all boner appeal when you decided to be evasive and clinical, Mal," Jay said, deadpan.

The glare Mal threw him lacked any real heat, but her annoyance was clear. "Get cleaned up and presentable," she said, speaking to the room at large. "Good Prince Ben is coming here around seven thirty."

"What, why?" Carlos asked, puzzled, glancing at Evie as he sat up.

Evie took a deep breath, sitting up as well. "He's coming to read his proclamation to us," she answered, glancing at Mal, "since we didn't hear it on the island."

Jay swallowed. "Why should that matter?" Why should Ben come all the way here just to read some stupid pomp he probably didn't even write, Jay thought as his heart pounded in his chest. He didn't know why he was having issues focusing now; it felt like breathing in magic for the first time, and he didn't understand.

Instead of answering, Mal merely looked at Evie, who sat straighter when Jay and Carlos looked at her as well.

Taking another breath, Evie spoke. "Trust me, you should to hear it."

Carlos raised an eyebrow. "You've read it?" He made a face, though, before she could answer. "Wait, of course you have. You have a thing about reading."

"A _thing_?" Evie repeated, hands on her hips, affronted.

It was so ridiculous, Evie's offended stance and Carlos' nonchalantly shrugging away her focus, that Jay had to laugh. Anything to distract himself from his own head.

"Bitch at each other later, folks," Mal said with a roll of her eyes, but the tension in her shoulders was considerably less. "Might want to get a little cleaned up first." She raised her eyebrow at Evie and Carlos, the corner of her lips twitching upward at the blush forming on both of their cheeks.

Evie led Carlos to the bathroom, and Jay leaned back against the table, eyebrow raised at Mal.

"So. Gonna tell me who did that to her?" he asked, not really expecting an answer this time.

Mal merely looked at him. "Not mine to tell," she said, and with that, she deemed the topic dismissed.

Jay could understand that, wouldn't want the others talking about his shit either, but he knew that Mal had known, at least for a little while — at least since they've been here, and the whole situation just made Jay seethe.

"Do you want food?" she asked, like it was an afterthought, and he couldn't blame her for that either.

He usually forgot food was available here.

Shrugging, Jay gave a grunt, not bothering to move from his spot, and he suppressed a grin when Mal rolled her eyes.

"Tell the others I'll be back shortly," she said as she walked to the door.

"If no one stops you," Jay said, just to be a little shit.

Mal paused, her hand on the doorknob, and she turned to him, eyebrow raised. "Magic has its conveniences," was all she said, a trace of a smirk on her lips as she left.

Jay stared after her for a while, not quite as numb as he could have been.

—

It was three minutes before seven thirty, and Jay had to force himself to sit still.

Carlos and Evie had finished freshening up, and Carlos had simply sat on Jay's bed beside Jay, considering the girls had commandeered his own. Evie kept taking out her mirror to triple check her makeup, so much so that Mal looked about ready to snatch the thing from Evie's hands.

"I'm bored," Carlos muttered. He tried to make himself small when the girls looked at him. 

A knock sounded, and all four of them sat straight.

But no one made a move to get the door.

"Well," Evie said, looking at the boys expectantly.

"Well what?" Jay answered, blinking at her.

She sighed, exasperated. "One of you answer it!"

Carlos scrunched up his nose. "Why one of us?"

"Proper etiquette dictates that, because it's your room, one of you has to open the door," Evie explained quickly, glancing at the door. "Now hurry! It's rude to keep royalty waiting." She impatiently gestured for him to get up.

Looks like I've been volunteered, he thought as he sighed. "Okay, okay," Jay said as he pushed off of the bed, taking quick strides to the door despite not really wanting to be the one to invite Ben into the room.

He nearly groaned when he opened the door to Ben's brilliant smile.

"Hello, Jay," Ben greeted, feet firmly planted. "Am I too early?"

Jay couldn't help but snort. "Nah, your highness, you're fine," he said as he opened the door wider, gesturing for Ben to enter.

"It's 'Your Majesty,' Jay," Evie said quietly as she rose to greet Ben when he walked into the room.

"What's the difference?" Carlos asked, not bothering to get up, and he shared a glance with Mal.

"Majesty's for a king or queen," Jay answered, chest tightening when both Evie and Ben smiled at him. He shut the door to occupy himself, quickly crossing back to his bed, reclaiming his spot next to Carlos and trying to breathe.

Evie stepped forward, and it seemed like royalty was greeting royalty. "Would you like to sit?" she asked, more proper than Jay had ever seen her — and it didn't even bother Jay; Evie was born to be royal, no matter what anyone else said.

"I'll stand, thank you," Ben said, inclining his head. "You can sit, though. I wouldn't want to keep you standing. After all, this isn't really a formal affair."

Ben's smile made Evie smile, which was okay by Jay, and she once again took position beside Mal.

"Where's the proclamation?" Mal asked as her gaze traveled to Ben's empty hands, beating Jay to the punch, and they all watched in fascination as Ben's cheeks colored pink.

"I, uh, have it memorized," Ben answered.

"Why would you memorize it?" Carlos asked. "You could've just brought it here to read."

Ben smiled, sheepish as he glanced down at the floor, fidgeting a little. When he looked back up at them, he was definitely more nervous than Jay had ever seen him.

Which felt like a weird thing to think, considering they've only been in Auradon a little over a week.

"Well, you see," Ben began, his hands fiddling with his jacket. "I kind of spent the majority of the month leading up to my birthday drafting it." He cleared his throat, sheepish. "Not to mention all the prep work that had been occurring since June."

"You wrote it yourself?" Jay asked quietly, an odd sensation pinching at his chest. He wanted to hate Ben, he really did, but knowing that he actually spent time on his stupid proclamation made Jay oddly relieved. He couldn't understand it.

His smile softening, Ben nodded. "Of course, and I made sure to have it transcribed as soon as I legally became king."

"So, legally, you're king right now?" Carlos asked, eyebrow raised, an expression between intrigue and suspicion on his face.

Before Ben could answer, Evie spoke. "Coronations usually happen quite some time after an heir ascends the throne." She glanced at Ben, curious as well. "It's actually surprising that Ben's coronation is happening so soon."

"Evie's correct, as always," Ben affirmed, a warm smile sent her way. "Originally, the ceremony would have taken place after I completed my senior year."

"And what changed?" Mal asked, expression mostly neutral.

Smile faltering, Ben cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable. "My father called a summit."

"I think," Evie said, a little too loudly, smiling sheepishly and pushing past Mal's gaze, "we're getting a little off topic here."

"Right, of course," Ben agreed, as if it was his fault the topic had changed at all. "Um, I apologize for the language," he said, chuckling a little. "It's traditional."

"It's fine," Evie murmured, giving Ben a small smile.

Nodding, Ben took a breath and began.

"Benjamin Florian, first of his name, by the Grace of God and the United Sovereignties of Auradon, King of Kings, and Protector of Faith and Goodness, does so put forth a decree containing the following, to wit:

"Whereas, in the year one Before Our Kingdom, the Crown created the territory thenceforth known as the Isle of the Lost for the banishment of those, living and not, who had been deemed as having strayed from the path of Good.

"Whereas We—" 

"We?" Carlos interrupted, brow furrowed.

"It's called the majestic plural, shh," Evie shushed, redirecting the attention back on Ben.

Ben, who smiled a little at the interruption, continued as if nothing happened, "acknowledge the event so mentioned above as an act done, after great counsel and heavy decision, for the perceived betterment of the newly formed United Sovereignties of Auradon.

"Whereas We, through counsel and great reflection of Our own, have come to the conclusion that those borne on the Isle of the Lost are innocent of the crimes of their parentage and so in good conscience should not remain forsaken by either the Crown nor the people of Auradon."

Ben paused, for only a second, before looking them each in the eye. "We do therefore extend to the below named children of the Isle of the Lost the chance to be the first of many, should they so choose to do so, to live as citizens of Auradon:

"Mal, daughter of Maleficent; Jay ibn Jafar ibn Fadlan; Evie Grimhilde; and Carlos de Vil.

"Should those named above in this Our proclamation wish it, We pray they accept as well the invitation to continue their education at the Auradon Institute for the Preparation and Betterment of the Future, so that they may be given every opportunity to succeed that may not have been granted otherwise due to forces beyond their control.

"And further do We declare that, should it prove too difficult for the people of Auradon and those so named, and any who follow thereafter, to bridge the gap to peace, so forged by the Crown in the year one Before Our Kingdom, We shall construe that the error lie upon Our shoulders and thus bear responsibility in full, in that We be High King no longer and removed from the title forthwith.

"And so upon this act, so believed to be an act of Justice, We invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God.

"Given at Our Castle, in Our City of Auradon, this twenty-fourth day of September in the year of Our Kingdom twenty, and in the first year of Our Reign." Ben paused a little, cheeks tinting just the slightest bit before finishing. "By the High King, Benjamin Florian de Damas."

The silence in the room was practically stifling.

Jay didn't know what to think, and as he certainly couldn't speak either, he glanced at the others.

Did Ben really come up with all that? Did he really put it out for the entire _land_ to see?

"You'd put your crown on the line for some riff-raff from the island?" Carlos asked, breaking the silence, his expression hard to read, even for Jay.

Ben, the corners of his mouth quirking downward a bit, nodded, solemn. "Most definitely, and you're _not_ riff-raff."

I don't buy that, Jay thought with fervor. "That has to be the stupidest thing you've ever said," he said, surprising not only others with the vehemence in his voice, but himself as well.

"Jay," Evie said, a concerned frown on her lips.

"You had no guarantee that we wouldn't start crap just to get you tossed out," Jay continued before Evie could talk sense into him, trying his best not to look at her directly; he really would lose his nerve. "We weren't teammates when you wrote this, so don't say you trusted me not to break your face." Because, Allah, he still couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that Ben had stared down Jay's anger and uncertainty and still was willing to _trust_.

"Jay."

 _That_ wasn't Evie; that was Mal, and Jay found it hard to ignore that tone, so he found his gaze traveling to her face, taking in the intensity of her eyes, the flex of her jaw.

"It's okay, Mal," Ben said softly, taking a small step forward to undo the staring contest that Jay had entered with Mal. Ben turned to Jay, expression serious but bearing open. "I did trust you, Jay. I trusted all of you. I gave you the benefit of the doubt."

"It still wasn't a brilliant move in terms of self-preservation," Carlos said quietly. "So much so that I'm wondering how you got away with adding that condition."

Ben's smile turned wry. "Like I said, I made sure to have it transcribed as soon as I legally became king, so I chose to deliver my proclamation at the earliest hour the scribe was willing to notarize it, which just happened to be before my parents woke up."

"You went behind their backs?" Evie asked in surprise.

Ben shook his head, chuckling a little. "Well, not fully. I had already told them I wanted my first official proclamation to be about bringing children of the island to Auradon."

"And they were okay with that?" Carlos asked, skeptical.

"Again, not fully. My mom was willing to listen to my reasoning, but my dad... not so much." There was a pinch to his face again, a subtle change in his expression that had the hair on the back of Jay's neck on edge. "So I knew that if I wanted to add that condition, I needed to dictate it privately."

"And your old man," Jay said, gut churning, "what did he do when he found out?" He was gripping his thighs too tightly, felt his throat close with sickness, and he only breathed evenly when Carlos placed his hand on top of his.

Ben regarded Jay curiously — concern lacing the edges of that curiosity — and shook his head. "Not much. He was angry, but as it was the morning of my sixteenth, I was legally king, and there wasn't much that could be done to change it." A small, wry smile graced his lips. "Especially since I sent it out already."

Carlos hummed, impressed. "You must've really wanted that decree to be carried out."

Making a face, Ben tilted his head to the side a little. "I wanted to give you a chance," he said, looking at each of them. "I wanted you all to know that you weren't alone, that you weren't... abandoned."

"Abandoned?" Mal asked, finally speaking, her expression virtually unreadable, but her eyes — if Jay didn't know any better, he'd say she was close to turning them emerald.

A blush tinted Ben's cheeks. "It's how I felt whenever I looked at the island."

"You could see it?" she asked, her mouth twitching, and Jay knew what she was thinking, knew that she thought he was lying; the island wasn't visible from any vantage point at Auradon Prep.

Jay knew because he tried to view it many times.

"From my room in Auradon Castle," Ben clarified, like he knew their thoughts.

"You said prep work since June," Mal began, the edge to her voice making Evie sit straighter, which in turn made Carlos and Jay sit straighter. "What kind of prep work?" She fixed her glass green eyes on Ben.

"Paperwork, mostly," Ben said, a trace of a sigh leaving his lips. "There's a lot of paperwork involved in getting clearance to transfer students from the island to the mainland. I wanted to make sure nothing would hinder the process once you made your decision, should you choose to come."

"No snap your fingers and it gets done for the king?" Carlos asked, expertly avoiding the no choice factor.

Ben grinned. "I wasn't king yet, but no, snapping fingers can't solve all your problems."

Carlos was going to say something else — something undoubtedly sarcastic, knowing him — but closed his mouth with a little click when Mal raised her hand slightly, her attention still on Ben.

Uh oh, this might get ugly, Jay thought as he shared a glance with Evie, taking in her nervous fidgeting.

"How did you decide on who to invite?" Mal asked. Though, to be fair, demanded seemed more appropriate, as it was clear that Mal expected an answer — and a sufficient one, at that.

Ben swallowed, eyes downcast, and Jay sat straighter, noticed the others doing so as well, because really, Ben never gave off the type of vibe he was now. Instead of the usual annoying cheer and goodwill and confidence, Ben was _unsure_ , was nervous.

"I wanted to start out with just a few at first, the ones who needed help the most." He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable talking about it in front of them, talking about _them_ in front of them. "In order to determine who that was, I held conference with the Fairy Godmother and Yen Sid," he continued, wincing just slightly.

"Yen Sid?" Jay interrupted, surprised. "The whack job science professor?" Truth be told, he never had a problem with the old man, and all Jay really knew about him was that the dude was great at science and that he was apparently Carlos' favorite teacher.

"Well, yeah," Ben said, brow furrowed. "When the island was created, he had agreed to live there in order to teach its residents how to cope without magic. He's one of the few magic wielders who doesn't mind living without it." Even as he said the words, Ben's mouth seemed to press into a thin line, like the words left a bad taste in his mouth.

Interesting... Jay thought, glancing at Evie and Mal, noting that they didn't miss the action either.

"Oh God, he's _magical_?" Carlos said, nose scrunched up in disgust.

"One of the most powerful, if I recall correctly," Ben answered with a nod.

"And he willingly went to the island?" Evie asked, incredulous.

"Never mind any of that," Mal said, her tone once again quieting the rest of them, and Jay wondered what Ben thought of it as he focused his attention on Mal. "What did he tell you?"

Swallowing again, Ben stood a little straighter. "He was strangely tight-lipped, actually. However, he did tell us that, that you four seemed like you needed..." He paused, weighing whatever word was on his tongue. "Like you needed a, a break from the island."

Mal's eyes narrowed. "And you went with us based on _that_?"

Jay didn't buy it either.

"That and Fairy Godmother's encouragement to listen to his words," Ben affirmed, though still a little nervous. "She told me he gets quieter the more important things are."

Mal stared at Ben, and Jay and the others stared at Mal, wondering if she would accept the answer.

Clearing his throat again, Ben continued, looking at them all now. "I know you weren't given a choice to come here, but I don't want to send you back to the island either. This is me inviting you to stay for the semester."

"Only the semester?" Evie asked quietly, her entire body still except for her hands, for her finger tips, which seem to twitch as if she wanted to tap them against something instead of keeping them folded on her lap.

Smiling a little, Ben shook his head. "If, after the semester ends, you wish to return to the island, then I'll personally see you off. But if you wish to stay..." he continued, hope blooming across his face, "I'd be happy to graduate with you as my classmates and, if you'd have me, as my friends."

Jay felt himself go rigid, felt his throat dry and close. Rationally, in his head, he knew Ben's definition of friend differed from his own, but still Jay froze as Carlos' words echoed in his head: _You know, if you ask, I'm pretty sure he'd agree._

Fuck, he did _not_ need to think about that.

"I know this in no way makes up for the fact that you were forced to come here," Ben continued, quiet and sincere and still hopeful, "but please, if there's anything else I can do to right this wrong, let me know, and I will do my best to fulfill it."

Like, what the fuck is his problem, Jay thought, the sincerity in Ben's voice, the openness of his face and posture, all of it tripping him up just as much as they did when they first arrived in Auradon. He almost wanted to call in that favor now, to tell Ben to suck his dick to correct whatever wrong he was talking about, just to see Ben falter and turn on him.

Like a sane person would.

Jay really wanted to tell Ben to leave, to get out of the room so he could breathe again, breathe without the help of Carlos' presence next to him, without Carlos' hand on his. He really wanted to tell Ben to leave him alone, tell him to stop reminding Jay of the beauty of Carlos' eyes, the secretive joy of Mal's rare smiles, the regality of Evie's bearing, because all those things only tripped Jay up more; he didn't think anyone else could have those features, not like the ones he claimed, yet there Ben was.

Carlos squeezed his hand again, and when Jay glanced at him, Carlos was looking steadily at the girls, at Mal.

And Jay had rarely seen Mal so intense, so focused on a single person before. And he'd never been unable to read her before. He didn't know why that made him so numb.

Mal blinked, and her intensity melted. "Would you be willing to hold that thought?" she asked, and it was like nothing awkward had transpired, that Ben didn't just throw their world and perception of him off-kilter.

Surprised, Ben nodded, a soft smile gracing his lips. "Of course. Anything you need, just let me know."

"We'll keep it in mind," Mal said, agreeable but not committing to anything. She rose, causing Evie to snap out of her surprise and follow suit, but Mal placed a hand on Evie's shoulder, her thumb moving across Evie's skin.

Evie smiled at Ben, giving him a more regal version of her curtsy, and stayed where she was, standing. Her gaze flickered to Jay and Carlos, and Jay held in a sigh.

Nudging Carlos, Jay stood up as well, chest tightening when Ben gave them a warm smile for their efforts. And his stomach might have dropped when he realized that Ben might be expecting one of them to escort him to the door, seeing as it was his and Carlos' room, and Jay quickly glanced at the girls.

"I'll walk you to the door," Mal said, already moving so Ben wouldn't refuse.

Ben didn't seem to mind, focusing on them once more. "I'll see you all later," he said, like it was a promise, and he gave them an actual bow, one arm at his back and the other at his front in formality and everything.

Jay's pretty sure Evie nearly swooned.

Glancing to his side, Jay noted that Carlos was studying Ben, and their conversation from earlier entered his head: _it doesn't take a genius to read people_. Jay wondered what Carlos was seeing; a part of him didn't want to know.

"I am sorry," Ben began as he neared the door, but he stopped talking when Mal shook her head.

"If you keep apologizing, I won't be held accountable for my actions," Mal said, no real heat, not exactly, in her words.

"Mal!" Evie whispered fiercely, frowning slightly when Mal only stuck her chin out in defiance.

Ben only laughed. "Okay, noted. But you will let me know if there's anything I can do, right?"

Mal sighed, but she nodded. "If we think of something," she said, once again not committing to anything. She opened the door, looking at Ben, expectant and curious.

With one last smile sent their way, Ben looked at Mal, his smile softening. "See you later, Mal." He tilted his head, and Jay found it wise of him not to bow so formally in front of Mal; she'd probably kick him.

"Bye," Mal said, pleasant enough, and she watched him disappear into the hallway a moment before closing the door again, splaying her hand across the wood.

Jay felt her magic swell before it calmed, washing over the door. "Why'd you do that?" he asked, guarded.

"I'm taking a nap," was all she said as she returned to Carlos' bed. "Wake me up in an hour if I'm not up already." She didn't acknowledge them further as she lay down, turning over so her back was to them.

Evie bit her bottom lip as she looked down at Mal's form, seeming smaller than normal, and she glanced at Carlos and Jay. "Done with homework?"

Jay rolled his eyes. "Haven't started."

"Well, let's get to it," Evie said, matter-of-fact as she got his bag. "In order for you to stay on the tourney team, you need to average a B."

Well that fucking sucks, Jay thought as he sighed, pushing himself off the bed to join Evie at the table; she was already laying out his books. "Why does it matter anyway?" It's not like we'll be here that long, he thought, plopping down in one of the chairs.

"Everyone needs a distraction, Jay," Evie said, her eyes traveling to Carlos, to Mal, before settling on him. "While we're here, let's make the most of it."

Jay stared at her, trying to figure out her exact meaning, but as he watched Carlos claim a spot at the table as well, Jay just shrugged; his brain was too tired, his nerves finally settling down, for him to dig through any hidden meaning in Evie's words.

He agreed with Mal: taking a nap after everything today seemed like the best option.

———

Mal was going to go insane.

If Auradon didn't beat her, then her own mind would. Dreams plagued her sleep, too vivid and intense, and Mal found herself ready to bash her own head in if only to quell images of spoiled little princes and shimmering lakes and to quiet the sensation of power and _flying_.

Her dreams had always been plentiful as well as vivid, but they had only gotten worse when she came to Auradon, when she met Ben, when she found out the boy she'd been having visions of on the island was actually a real person.

What the fuck.

And last night! Ben reciting his proclamation did nothing to help her situation — though, she refused to admit that it only confused her and made her more angry. She wanted to find whichever herald delivered it to the island and cut them bloody. How dare they deliver it to anyone other than the people Ben named. How dare they give it to Maleficent instead. How dare they, through their incompetence, damn Mal and those she claimed to their fate.

And what was worse, after she heard the damn proclamation, after she felt drained from feeling too on edge the entire time Ben spoke, Mal took a nap to breathe and was yet again plagued with dreams. Dreams of furious beast kings and disapproving royalty, dreams of Evie dancing with Carlos as Jay watched with Mal, dreams of Ben's smiling face contorting to shock and then pain, dreams of some horned _creature_ rising out of the smoke of what was once a beautiful place. 

Mal had to close her eyes and take a breath to bring her back to reality. She needed to focus, to keep a level head, or she'd fail to carry out their task, fail to protect those she claimed, and that was not an option.

Glancing at Evie, the sight of her concentrating on the sewing machine — a contraption she had been thrilled to discover in the room, apparently standard issue in the girl dormitories — calming Mal a little, and she returned to her sketches.

She had commandeered Evie's bed, seeing as Evie was busy at the table, in the hope of calming her mind, of ridding it of the dreams and their aftertaste, but when she had started sketching, Mal watched the pages fill with images from her nights. No longer was she sketching Evie or Jay or Carlos, now she was sketching _roses_ and landscapes she'd never been to in the flesh and people she'd never met in person.

It was just as frustrating as waking from a dream, but she knew if she didn't get them out on paper, they'd never leave her alone.

A knock on the door broke Mal's thoughts, and she looked up from her sketch to see Jane entering the room, a frown on her face.

Never mind that she walked right in as if she had no fear of them.

"I tried what you said," Jane began, holding onto one of the bed posts of Mal's bed, looking for all the world like a wilting flower.

"And what did Mal say?" Evie asked, curious as she glanced at Mal, also intrigued at the familiarity that radiated off of Jane.

"She showed me a way to ask my mom to use the wand on my, um, my appearance," Jane said, cheeks flushing in embarrassment, not quite looking Evie in the eye.

Which allowed Evie to raise her eyebrow at Mal, a silent question hanging in the air.

Mal could only shrug, though, as she didn't get it either; Jane wasn't _that_ unattractive. "What was her answer?" Mal asked, even though she could guess, judging by Jane's attitude.

"Mom said, _if a boy can't see the beauty within, then he's not worth it_." She sighed, plopping down on Mal's bed as if she'd been doing it all her life. "Can you believe it? What world does she live in?"

"Auradon," Mal said, amused, but as her focus returned to her sketchbook, the reason why she had gone to Jane came crashing back into her, and she frowned. Great, now we'll need yet another plan, she thought, perhaps a little too roughly shading in a pillar.

Because if the Fairy Godmother, the so-called purveyor of goodness and compassion, wouldn't remove the wand from the force field to help her _dear_ child, then using Jane to accomplish their task was no longer a viable option.

"Mal," Evie called gently, cutting into her thoughts, "do you like?" She held up a her latest creation, waiting eagerly for Mal's input.

Mal suppressed a sigh, barely containing a smirk. "Yeah. It brings out your eyes." She might not know why fashion excited Evie so much, but Mal could be honest and tell it like she saw it. And hey, anything that brought out Evie's eyes was okay in Mal's book.

"I know," Evie said, smiling brightly as she went back to work.

Mal rolled her eyes, smirking in amusement.

"I'll never get a boyfriend," Jane murmured, hugging one of Mal's pillows to her chest, and she briefly glanced at Evie, at _Mal_ , with something like wistfulness.

"Boyfriends are overrated," Mal said, almost automatic, distracted as she refrained from staring at Jane, at how comfortable she looked on Mal's bed, so different from the wary, frightened creature she had confronted in the bathroom.

Evie _giggled_ , and she didn't even have the decency to look contrite when Mal glared at her.

And then Jane's words actually clicked. "Wait," she said slowly, her sketch and Evie's creation lost to her now, " _that's_ why you want to change your looks, for a _boy_?" Mal couldn't believe her ears.

But she believed her eyes, and her eyes saw Jane sit up, shaking slightly as she looked at Mal with shame.

"I-it's different for you two," Jane stammered out, clearly nervous that both of their attention was on her now. "You could have anyone you wanted."

"That doesn't matter," Mal said, not even going to entertain Jane's incorrect statement. "Why would you want to change _you_ for a _boy_?"

Jane looked down, stared at her hands as she wrung them nervously. "I just want to be normal," she said quietly, and she stilled her hands by having then grab a fistful of her skirt. "You know, like everyone else."

What a crock of shit, Mal thought, glancing at Evie, at the bewildered look on her face, before looking at Jane. "So you want to be petty and dishonest," she said, unimpressed. You want to be ugly and weak, she thought even as she held her tongue.

Hesitantly, Jane looked up, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Everyone's not like that," she said, quiet and unsure.

Mal glanced at Evie again, eyebrow rising slightly, and Evie sighed.

"Yes, they are," Evie said, nonchalant and flippant, and she glanced at her newest creation, her eyes growing distant.

Mal knew that Evie was remembering the island, was thinking about things here in Auradon; Evie knew better than most that people were petty, dishonest, ugly, weak.

The crease in Jane's brow only deepened as she looked from Mal to Evie and back. " _You're_ not like that," she said, slow and quiet still but also strangely firm.

Mal snorted. I manipulated you into seeking out your mother because I want to steal her wand, and you think I'm not like that, she thought. "Let me give you some advice," Mal said instead, leveling Jane with her full attention, "since you're kin and all."

"We," Jane said, startled, blinking at Mal as her cheeks tinted pink, "we're not kin..."

"You and I both have fae blood in our veins," Mal said, shrugging. "That's more kin than I've ever known." Even if she shared direct blood with Maleficent, even if she called Maleficent mother, Mal didn't think of her as _kin_.

Yet, with Jane... There was something different about Jane.

Jane didn't say a thing, but her eyes, her eyes were bright. Almost as if she were thinking the same thing...

"Here's my advice," Mal said, quickly dismissing the notion, "fuck everyone else." She almost smirked at Jane's shock at such blatant language, but she continued speaking. "Let the world do its own thing. You do you."

At her words, Jane became pensive, a little crease still to her brow, but she didn't look so fragile, so meek, as she did before.

Let out what I know is in you, Mal thought, studying Jane curiously. After all, Mal was only half-fae, as her mother constantly reminded her, but she was able to do magic, able to sense it elsewhere, and while it was puzzling that Jane didn't really give off the same sense as Evie did or as the wand's force field had, Mal sensed _something_ in Jane.

"You know," Mal began, turning her attention on her sketchbook again, figuring discussing the topic wouldn't hurt now that the plan to use Jane to get the wand had fallen through, "speaking of being half-fae..."

Jane froze, became rigid and pale as she practically bore a hole into the floor with her gaze.

Interesting, Mal thought, putting down her pencil; perhaps she wanted to give her full attention to this conversation after all. "Why couldn't you just use your own magic?"

Swallowing, Jane looked up, looked at Mal with terrified eyes. "The thought of doing magic makes me, well, more than a little uneasy. Please don't be mad!" she begged, hands held up as if expecting Mal to strike her there and then.

"I'm not mad," Mal answered truthful, more fascinated than ever by the conversation, by Jane's reactions. "I'm just... puzzled," she settled on saying when Jane had calmed down some. "You're Fairy Godmother's daughter, so you should have a little magic at least."

Jane looked ill. "I really don't want to find out..."

Something's off, Mal thought as unease slipped into her gut, as it stayed there and churned. "What happened here? Wasn't magic the norm?" she asked, taking in the way Jane paled even more. "Why so afraid?" It didn't make any sense.

What secrets had Auradon been keeping?

Jane, visibly shaking now, opened her mouth, but no words came out, and she stared wide-eyed at Mal.

A knock sounded, quickly followed by, "Hey, guys!"

Both Mal and Jane jumped, Jane more so, and they turned to the newcomer in the room, who had just waltzed right in as well.

"I'm Lonnie," she said brightly, smiling to match, and she stood there expectantly, glancing between Mal and Evie. "My mom's Mulan?" she tried when neither one answered her, her smile fading slightly.

What is it with Auradonians and barging in; shouldn't they have better manners or something, Mal thought as she took in Lonnie, took in the pastel coloring of her outfit, her height and build. Her first thought was was Lonnie looked formidable if it came to a fight. Her second thought that Lonnie and Evie might get along well.

"No?" Lonnie continued after their silence carried on just a little too long, and she cleared her throat. "Anyways, I love what you've done with Jane's hair." She smiled brightly at Jane, which only made Jane blush as she looked down.

Just gets more interesting, Mal thought, trying not to openly study the two girls in their room. A glance at Evie told Mal she wasn't alone in her interest.

"And I know you hate us," Lonnie continued, not really put off by the notion, which just served to intrigue Mal more, "and, well, you're evil." She shrugged in a _what can you do_ type of way, which nearly made Mal snort. "But do you think you could do mine?" Lonnie asked, a hand going to her short locks, and she practically bounced on her heels in anticipation.

Mal simply stared. "Why would I do that for you?" she asked, a little amused and a little not. What would she have to gain from it? The only reason she spelled Jane's hair was to gain her trust, making it easier to manipulate her to get the wand.

She obviously couldn't inform Lonnie of that right now, with Jane sitting on Mal's bed, but Mal had to wonder how Lonnie's head worked.

Lonnie, to her credit, didn't seem fazed at Mal's attitude. "I'll pay you fifty dollars," she offered, holding up a pouch, letting Mal hear it _jingle_.

It certainly piqued Evie's attention. "Good answer," she said as she stood up, taking the pouch, smiling sweetly. "I need to buy more material," she said, more to Mal than the others.

The only answer she gave Evie was a roll of the eyes. Let her have her fun, she thought as she continued sketching, content to ignore _girl time_ , as Evie liked to call it.

Never mind that _girl time_ involved Evie painting boys' toes or braiding Jay's hair.

"Let's see," Evie began, already a-buzz with the possibilities, "I'm thinking we lose the bangs, maybe add some layers and some highlights—"

"Oh, um," Lonnie interjected, abrupt enough to garner Mal's attention, "I want it cool, like Mal's."

Mal blinked. What is with these people and my hair, she thought, trying not to frown. How could anyone think her hair was all that, especially in comparison to Evie's.

"Really?" Evie drawled, mischief dancing on her face, and her grin only widened as Mal narrowed her eyes. "The split ends, too?" she finished, holding back her amusement as she jingled the pouch ever so slightly.

Cheeky little thing, Mal thought in amusement, pretending to be put out as she slammed her pencil on her sketchbook with a groan, rolling off the bed in the process. In her peripheral, she saw both Evie and Lonnie exchange victorious expressions, and Mal just barely kept her amusement in check as she got her mother's spell book.

Lonnie's excitement was for the hair, but Evie's excitement had to do with the fact that she'll be "paying" for her comment later tonight.

Mal did like it when Evie pushed back, after all.

Flipping the book open, Mal leaned against the bedpost, eying the spell. Lonnie said cool, so substituting a word wouldn't hurt things, right, she thought, figuring if it went wrong then hey, it went wrong. "Okay. _Beware, forswear, replace the old with cool hair_." She closed the book, doing the same gesture she had done for Jane, and she watched with interest as Lonnie followed the movement.

And Mal once again felt magic swirl around them and pull tight before releasing in a slow trickle, and as Lonnie righted herself, her curls grew, lofty and lighter in color.

Hands hesitantly traveling to the new hair, Lonnie let Evie position her in front of the mirror, and they both admired it.

"Not bad, Mal," Evie murmured, her fingers ghosting over the strands on Lonnie's shoulders. "Are we sure about the color, though?"

"Yes," Lonnie said immediately, her smile widening so much it hurt Mal to look at it. "I love it!"

Good, don't ask me again, Mal thought with a small sigh as she returned her book to its place in her nightstand. She then noticed Jane looking at Lonnie with a small frown, and that was interesting. Thought you were special, didn't you, Mal thought, regarding her curiously.

In a way, Jane was. After all, Mal basically gave her new hair for free, now that using her to get the wand was no longer an option. By all rights, Mal should revoke her magic and return Jane's hair to its previous state.

"You look good," Jane said to Lonnie, her frown no longer in place, and her tone seemed genuine.

Then why did she frown, Mal thought, confused. Though, to be fair, all of Auradon confused her.

"I don't want to look good," Lonnie said as she studied herself in the mirror. "I want to look..." A grin spread across her lips as she reached down, took her skirt in both hands, and tore the material, creating a slit that ran along her thigh. "Now I'm cool."

Evie chuckled, smiling wide as she glanced at Mal, and Mal rolled her eyes.

Jane walked past them, standing in front of the mirror and did the same thing Lonnie did — only, when she ripped her skirt, Jane released _magic_.

Interesting, Mal thought as she watched Jane's hands covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes widening with terror.

"What'd I just do?" she asked, more to her reflection than any of them. "Mom's gonna kill me."

Mal had to laugh. "Doubtful," she said as she moved next to Jane, cupping her chin. "But it looks like there's hope for you yet." Mal smirked, which only deepened when Jane blushed bright red.

Lonnie laughed, pulling Jane close and away from Mal, talking about nonsense such as boys and clothes, and Mal let Evie entertain them, choosing instead to return to her sketchbook before actually doing her homework.

Auradon still confused and annoyed her, but at least it provided some entertainment. On occasion.

———

The sun had not yet begun to rise, but Jay was awake.

He'd picked the locks to the dormitory roof and had been sitting in the same spot, in the same position, for nearly an hour, unmoving despite being clothed in his threadbare pants and sleeping shirt in the predawn chill.

The chill didn't bother him, though, not really; he was too busy _concentrating_ to feel anything. He'd had a dream, a dream of being in front of his father's armchair, and he'd woken up with a start, a sheen of sweat on his body and his cock hard. As he sat there trying to rein in his breathing, Jay noticed that Carlos was in a similar condition, only he hadn't awoken.

It shouldn't have been such a startling sight, but Jay had never seen Carlos like that in his sleep; he just wasn't the type to get like that, to have those kinds of urges be a _problem_ for him, and to see him now, face twisted and brow knitted as if he had no idea what to do even as he slept on, put a sour taste in Jay's mouth.

Dread filling his stomach, Jay ran out of the room like lightning, made his way to the roof where he knew no one would come looking for him, and he sat down, cursing himself all the while. What's the use in giving up magic if I can't even control it, he thought miserably, trying to figure out a way to get a handle on whatever magical impulse had sway over him.

"Jay?"

Startled, Jay glanced over to the door and took in Mal's appearance. Her hair was tussled, her clothes too mismatched to be anything other than sleeping attire, but her eyes were gleaming in the false dawn light.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her, nerves acting up as she stepped closer.

Raising her eyebrow, Mal said, "I'm here because of you."

Throat closing, Jay asked, "What do you mean?" He had an idea, but the thought was enough to shame him even more.

Mal didn't answer right away, the way she pursed her lips telling Jay that she was choosing her words carefully, and she sat down next to him, gazing out across the campus instead of looking at him.

"Mal," he began, unable to take her silence, but his words failed him when she looked his way.

"You can't control it, can you?" Mal asked.

"Can you tell?" he asked instead of answering her directly, despite knowing the answer, despite not wanting to have this conversation ever.

Giving a little shrug, Mal answered. "I could sense the fight; that's how I knew you were here."

"Terrific..." he muttered. Of course all his efforts were in vain. How did he ever think he could actually suppress any of his sins?

"It's not the end of the world," she said, looking at him briefly through her peripheral.

That garnered a snort. "Just enough to blow our cover if I can't control this," he said, low and annoyed and frustrated. Why did he have to be such a fuck up?

"The random bouts of anger are caused by your inability to control magic?" Mal asked, mild intrigue in her voice.

"If only that was all," Jay muttered, running a hand through his hair in frustration. The whole place threw him, the school, the atmosphere, the people, and even though some days were better than others, he always felt restless, felt off, and he didn't know how to fix it.

"What?" Mal asked, brow creasing slightly in confusion. She waited a few moments, and then she blew out a small huff of air. "You know, I seem to recall _some_ one telling me not to make things about me," she said casually, eying Jay. "To talk to others and not keep secrets. Remind me who that was again," she finished, once again looking fully at Jay.

"Ha fucking ha," Jay mumbled, but he couldn't keep it all in anymore, not when Mal used his words against him. "I think I'm affecting Carlos."

Silence stretched for a moment. "Elaborate," Mal said.

"Had a dream, woke up hard, look over, and he's hard too." Allah, I'm so pathetic, he thought, feeling miserable and cold and alone. "You know Carlos, he doesn't usually get like that," he continued, sullen and frustrated. "And I'm pretty sure this wasn't the first time I've done that."

He couldn't really explain it, but there was always a lingering feeling, like a phantom ache, like he'd forgotten to do something; he felt it a few times since they arrived in Auradon, and sitting up on the roof, after witnessing just how he was affecting Carlos, Jay could pretty much pinpoint the feeling now.

Mal hummed, thoughtfully turning to the campus. "Then it was _you_ who had him worked up during our first day of class?"

"I did _what_?" Jay paled. Suspecting he was doing something and getting confirmation that he was doing it were two different things, and it left a sour taste in his mouth.

Shrugging, Mal spoke, seemingly unconcerned with Jay's mood. "He got hard at the end of his class before lunch. So I gave him a hand."

"Fuck," Jay groaned out, rubbing the heels of his palms into his eyes.

"You must have been in a pretty bad way," Mal continued, voice nonchalant, bored, but Jay knew better. "I'd never seen him so far gone and wanting, so... submissive."

" _Fuck_ ," Jay said, drawing out the word as he pressed against his eyes harder. Of all the fuck ups he'd made, this one probably blew them all out of the water.

"Didn't think _you_ were like that," Mal finished, and though he couldn't see her just then, Jay knew she was now staring at him. And what a damning statement that was.

"Mal..." He had no words. He had always acted as her left hand, as her muscle, and he'd worked hard to cultivate a reputation that dripped of brute and dominance. Now that she knew his secret, knew the thoughts and urges he tried to keep hidden, what use could he be to her? 

"I'm not putting you down." It's spoken without heat, without much inflection at all, like it was a truth the same as air was needed to breathe.

Jay couldn't handle it.

" _You_ don't have to," he said, breathy and rushed, ashamed as he dug his fingers into his scalp. "Playing like I'm strong and shit..." He hadn't meant to say the words out loud, but it was the truth, and he resolutely avoided Mal's gaze, opting instead to bore holes into the floor, hoping it would open up and swallow him whole.

They weren't on the island now; he could die without much effort.

"You _are_ strong," Mal said adamantly, her hand on his shoulder, squeezing. "Stronger than I've given you credit for even." She paused, hand moving from his shoulder to the back of his neck. "But if you're not getting what you need, it creates problems."

"I don't need anything," Jay mumbled, even as he thought, short of a thorough beating. He shivered, though, when Mal's grip on his neck tightened, just a little, and he risked looking at her.

And he wished he hadn't.

Because Mal's eyes were emerald.

Jay had only ever been subjected to that gaze once before, when they were eight and young and so, so stupid. Back then, Mal had tried to put him in his place, tried to make him feel worthless, as if he hadn't felt that way since he could remember _feeling_ ; she had glared and held her head high, made it known that she was far above him and that he could never reach her.

Now, as he looked into those emerald eyes, Jay saw none of that. He merely saw intensity. He saw intrigue. He saw a promise. And he swallowed. "Mal...?" he ventured, feeling too heated, the skin where Mal touched on fire.

"You do need something," Mal said, her other hand cupping his chin, her expression calm, almost serene, at odds with those fierce emerald eyes. "Something you haven't been getting." The hand on Jay's neck moved, gripping a chunk of his hair and pulling slightly.

Another wave of _warmth_ spread throughout his body, and Jay could only stare at her, his mouth gone dry. His skin felt like it was buzzing, not quite burning, not quite _alive_ , but he couldn't do a thing under Mal's gaze, felt like stone under it, felt so open and exposed. "Mal..." he whispered, and it sounded like a plea even to his own ears.

It seemed to be the right thing to say because Mal finally moved.

Tilting his chin up, Mal claimed his lips in a firm kiss, pushing into his space, and Jay's nerves _finally_ opened, every single one of them on fire as Mal's tongue slipped into his mouth. The moan he gave felt like it was ripped from him.

When Mal pulled away, Jay nearly whined, as out of breath as he was, and it took him a stupidly long time to realize that Mal had straddled his waist during their kiss.

"Mal?" he asked as he looked at her, at her gleaming eyes, and he had no idea what he was asking: why was she in his lap, why did she kiss him like that, why wasn't she moving, why wasn't she making him sob for it, why why why.

"Feel it, Jay," Mal instructed, voice almost a purr as she kissed along his jaw, her hands running down his shirt, pausing over his nipples. "Feel me," she said, commanding, authoritative, and she rolled her hips as she pinched him.

Jay groaned, a full body shudder overtaking him, his head falling back as his hands scrambled to grasp at Mal's hips as if they were his only lifeline.

"Feel that energy?" Mal said softly, at odds with the rough way her hands forced him to look at her, her hips still grinding against his, heating him further, numbing his mind. "Do you _feel_ it?" she questioned before biting down on his collarbone.

Crying out, Jay nodded, frantic and desperate, pulling her closer, his breaths escaping him in pants. And Allah, could he feel it, could feel his nerves coursing with energy, excess and wild, more intense than he ever felt it, whether he was stealing, dreaming, or fucking.

And it felt too fucking good. What was she _doing_ to him?

Why did he want it to never stop?

"Good," was all the warning Mal gave him before she pushed him down, her hands on his chest, kneading as she slowly rolled her hips.

"Mal!" Jay said, more of a gasp than anything, eyes wide despite how aroused he was. The image he was looking at now, of Mal calm and collected as she gazed down at him with those emerald eyes of hers, fuck, he never imagined anything like it. And it only made him harder.

"Focus on me," Mal said, still rolling her hips, the pressure so good despite the layers of clothing between them, her hands roaming down his chest, heating his skin despite not coming into contact with it. "Focus on _me_ , Jay, I can take it. Let go." She leaned over him, kissing him again, hungry and nearly biting as her hands traveled to his wrists, and she pinned them above his head.

"Fuck, Mal, I, I'm—" Jay groaned as Mal silenced him with another kiss, and he almost bucked up against her, he was so dizzy with want, with _need_.

"Focus it, Jay," she commanded when they broke apart. "How you feel right now" — she squeezed his wrists, her nails digging into his skin — "how that magic feels" — she leaned into him, kissing the pulse point on his neck — "focus all of that on me," she whispered into his ear, biting his earlobe in the process. "Let go." 

Jay groaned. He whined. He _ached_. Never before did he feel so powerful, so full of energy and want, yet so completely helpless, so at the mercy of another, and he could only writhe in pleasure as Mal continued her own brand of magic, because that's what it had to be.

Why else would he act so shamefully in front of Mal? Why else would he not put up any fight in releasing his demons, his darkness?

"Focus it all on me, Jay, I can take it," Mal ordered, and she moved, harder and rougher than she had been, fucking Jay without actually touching him outside of his wrists and neck. "It's _okay_ , I can take it, focus. Let _go_." And she kissed him, claimed him, owned him.

And something clicked between them just then, a kind of spark that shot throughout Jay's body, quick as lightning, burning as fire.

And Jay came, harder than ever, his whole body tensing, shuddering, aching, and he'd never felt so free, moaning as Mal's hands roamed over his body, massaging him through his release, and he arched into her touch, savoring the sensation of _everything_ in that moment.

Because _fuck_.

Jay lay shivering on the floor, gasping as he slowly came down from whatever high Mal drove him to, feeling all the world like he'd been thoroughly, roughly fucked for a week straight despite Mal doing nothing more than rubbing, fully clothed, against him while she kissed him.

What a fucking trip, he thought, breathing finally evening out, still unable to believe he got so unhinged.

"Wha—" Jay swallowed, his voice totally wrecked, as if he'd been sucking dick or eating pussy for _days_. He tried speaking again. "Fuck, what did you do?" He looked at Mal, now sitting beside him, took in her calm and easy posture, noted how her breathing was fine — even if her cheeks were pinker than usual.

"I helped you focus that magic of yours," she said, still collected and cool, as if she hadn't just driven Jay to the best, most intense orgasm of his life. Slowly, maybe even a little hesitantly, she placed her hand on his head, her thumb smoothing the skin on his forehead. "Are you mad?" she asked, jaw flexing a fraction. "Did I hurt you?"

He felt so sore, so wrecked, but he'd never felt more at ease. His mind had been a clouded mess, yet now, it hadn't been clearer. He didn't know what she did, didn't know _how_ she did it, but it was a relief, pure and simple. "You fucked my brains out without actually fucking me," Jay settled on saying, his lips twitching in amusement, in amazement. "That's talent."

Mal blinked at him. "I'm serious, Jay." She didn't look mad, didn't look like she felt anything one way or the other, but Jay knew.

Jay knew she never wanted to be compared to Jafar, to Maleficent's Goons, and Jay knew that she probably thought she was in league with them after taking Jay so thoroughly — even if she didn't actually take him.

"My head, hell, my body feels like putty, but," he said a little louder when Mal opened her mouth, "I haven't felt this clear, this calm, since before we arrived in Auradon." He smiled for her, knowing that he'd never be able to truly tell her how much he appreciated whatever it was she did for him; it felt like his demons were silenced, if only for a short while. "You really are magic."

Mal snorted, moving her hand to smooth down his hair now. "So are you. Didn't realize how much, in fact." As she said it, her expression became calculating — not in malice but in curiosity.

Swallowing, Jay closed his eyes. "Don't remind me. I have to consciously think about not stealing or I'm gonna find myself with scores just appearing in my hands."

"Sorry to put pressure on you," Mal murmured, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "This should help, though. Did you feel that spark?"

"How else do you think I came so hard?" Jay asked, cracking an eye open as a small smirk appeared on his face, widening into a grin when Mal rolled her eyes. He sobered a little, though, when she continued to look at him thoughtfully. "But do you really think things'll be fine now?"

"I think," Mal said slowly, staring out into the distance, "a connection was made between our magic. If you ever get horny again—"

"I think you mean when," Jay interrupted dryly.

"When you get horny again," Mal continued with an eye roll, "you should be able to concentrate that excess energy on me now. Maybe even if you don't focus it, it'll come to me anyway."

"And you don't mind?" Jay asked, guarded.

"No," Mal answered honestly, expression open as she looked down at him. "I can handle your magic. It only felt like a faint sensation, like someone was standing too close for comfort, you know?" She shrugged. "It's not something that'll disrupt my life, Jay."

Throat going dry, Jay slowly sat up, scooting just a little closer to her. "Are you sure?" he asked her, voice soft and quiet. He was afraid to speak any louder; he already showed his vices to Mal, so the last thing he wanted was his voice to break in front of her. "Are you sure it'll go to you? Are you sure that it isn't a problem?"

And fuck, that was the worst thought, wasn't it? Knowing that he'd be inconveniencing Mal any more than he already did, that he'd be a complete failure, that he'd be so _weak_.

Mal fixed him with an unblinking stare. Instead of saying anything, she merely pushed her hair behind her ear, showing Jay the earring he gave her, the twin to the one in his own ear. "You are not a problem," she said, equally quiet and soft. "You're mine. When I claimed you, I claimed _all_ of you."

He couldn't help himself, not after her words cut into him so deep, so he surged forward, kissing Mal, hoping she wouldn't mind him initiating it.

When Mal deepened the kiss, he felt so relieved he might cry, and he let Mal take control again, let her kiss consume him.

"I don't," he gasped out when they broke apart, and he placed a hand to her cheek, marveled at her beauty, at the confidence and the strength he'd never have. "I don't know how to th—"

"Stop," Mal said firmly, placing her hand on his cheek, mirroring him. "Just continue being you, Jay." The corners of her mouth twitched upward. "You're an ass" — she placed a finger to his lips when he opened his mouth — "but you're mine, and you're strong and clever and thoughtful. I wouldn't waste my time if I didn't think you were worth it."

Jay swallowed, and he nodded — because what could he say to that? So instead of words, he leaned in slightly, wondering if Mal would let him, and when she offered no fight, Jay rested his head on her shoulder and simply took in Mal's presence.

He never told her, probably never would, but the day she caught him trying to steal from her all those years ago, the day Mal allowed him to barter with her, saved his sanity. If it weren't for her, he would have been completely consumed by his demons and Jafar.

Mal's fingers carded through his hair as she nudged him slightly. "We better go. The others will wonder, and we can't be late for class." The last bit was said with annoyance, and Jay found himself smiling as he pulled away.

"And considering I've got a mess in my pants..." He grinned when Mal rolled her eyes as she stood up.

"Don't you always?" she asked, dusting herself off.

"Funny," he said, trying for deadpan but breaking when she gave him a flat look.

"Since I caused this particular mess, I'll clean it up." And with that, Mal snapped her fingers, and Jay blinked, no longer feeling that wetness. "You're on your own from now on, though."

Jay laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her close just to annoy her.

Maybe things would be okay now.

———

Mal stared.

She didn't know why she was sitting at their lunch table, especially since she was alone, but something had told her to be there. Though, with each passing minute, unease began to creep into her, still not used to the sunshine and the breeze and the laughter throughout the campus, and she hated herself for wanting at least one of the others there with her, if only to have something to focus on that wasn't the strangeness of Auradon or the damn sketches in her book.

Despite not liking it one bit, Mal knew what chasing after Chad meant for Evie's peace of mind — even if Mal did want to cut Grimhilde's face up. Still, Mal knew about pressure, knew about it despite having Maleficent absent from most of her life, so though she couldn't imagine the _constant_ pressure Evie went through, Mal could at least understand the concept of the pressure itself.

She understood that seducing Chad was as big as a priority as getting the wand, which is why she didn't grumble, too much, when Evie told her about a date with Chad after classes ended.

Jay and Carlos were another story. After tourney, she had no idea what they did when they didn't come into their dorm, though she could guess that it involved no clothes.

That thought, though, only made her frown as she recalled Jay's little predicament. It's true that she hadn't sensed any excess magic coming off of him lately, but she didn't know for sure. Then again, given how Jay had reacted, she figured he'd let her know it hadn't worked. Or if it had worn off.

Carlos, surprisingly, was someone she didn't have to worry about. Bullying in Auradon Prep was vastly different than that on the island. No one got in each other's face or straight up beat anyone. Their version of bullying was basically shunning those different, and that suited them, especially Carlos, just fine.

The only thing that might have put a crease to her brow was the fact that Carlos had been getting more and more into that laptop of his, on top of doing everyone's homework without prompting. But Mal knew his reason, knew that sitting still for too long made him uneasy, so Mal only watched from a distance; no need to say anything yet.

What really mattered was concocting another plan for the wand, and the thought made Mal want to pull out her hair.

With Carlos pointing out the trouble with the security, with her own attempt to use Jane falling flat, there left little in the way of ideas. How to get something that was so close yet so far?

Evie had decided to read the library top to bottom, searching for any clues, and while Mal followed her lead, she also knew that anything of use would be in that secret vault Fairy Godmother had hidden away — yet another dead end, security wise; Carlos' digging revealed the blasted thing had the same setup as the wand.

Mal had tried to use Evie's mirror to see the contents of the apparently forbidden books, but all that she saw in that mirror was the shelves and shelves within the vault. It appeared that the mirror's magic was no match for Fairy Godmother's.

Mal had also tried — when she was sure Evie was sound asleep — asking the mirror itself how to get the wand, but the damned thing only revealed her own face.

The whole ordeal began to frustrate her.

"By your lonesome?"

Mal took a subtle breath, cursing her luck. She turned her gaze on Ben, noted how he smiled genuinely but kept his distance. Interesting, she thought as she shrugged. "Looks that way," she answered, wondering why he hadn't gotten closer, why he hadn't just sat down. "Do you even know what it's like to be alone?"

Mal blinked at her own question; she hadn't meant to say that aloud.

Ben chuckled. "Maybe a little." He looked down for a brief second before focusing back on her. "Though, if I'm honest, I could stand to find out more often."

As if you aren't honest all the time, she thought, refraining from rolling her eyes. "And be separated from your girlfriend? Scandalous." She held up her hand to her mouth in feigned shock.

Ben let out a small laugh, eyes downcast. "Is that a problem for you?"

Mal blinked. "You having a girlfriend?" What an odd question. Why should she care whether he had a girlfriend. She didn't care. She didn't care at all.

Ben laughed a little, though much more genuine this time. "No, is it a problem that I'm dating Audrey?" He cleared his throat. "Since, you know, your parents... didn't exactly see eye to eye."

That's putting it lightly, considering they tried to kill each other, considering Phillip did kill Maleficent, Mal thought, but his question intrigued her. He'd made it clear in his proclamation that he thought they were innocent of the actions of their parents, but now he was actually acknowledging that they were affected by it nonetheless. "What would you do if I said yes?"

Truthfully — aside from her comment about Evie's blood and status — Audrey had done nothing spectacularly annoying since they got there. Since most of the classes Mal was taking were below their grade, and since Audrey subscribed to the idiotic bullying culture of Auradon Prep, Mal or any of the others hadn't really run into the little pink priss princess.

So really, what could Ben mean by bringing it up now?

"Well, I'd stop bothering you," he said, expression pleasant enough, but Mal could see that that option wasn't ideal for him — though why, she didn't understand.

But Mal could also see that he didn't want to intrude, that he didn't want to cross any lines; she remembered how he looked when he realized that they weren't given a choice to come here — it was a look she wished she could forget.

"How considerate..." she said, namely because she realized she let the silence linger a little too long. "Is that why you don't just sit down?" She blinked. Yet again her mouth had a mind of its own! Quickly, because Ben blinked as well, she continued, shrugging off the question. "Doug, Lonnie, even Jane, they all sit without preamble. Not you."

"I figured they didn't bother you guys, so it's different." He shrugged, not offended.

"And how would you bother us?" Mal asked, genuinely curious. Aside from the fact that he seemed good for the sake of goodness, Ben hadn't pushed any of the other's buttons — that she was aware of.

And really, the only reason _she_ was bothered by Ben was because of the visions, and that wasn't as much of an issue now.

(She told herself that the visions of Ben only meant foreseeing his proclamation and nothing else. She didn't know if she entirely believed herself.)

Ben regarded her curiously in turn, head tilted a little and an eyebrow raised. "Besides being the son of the man who imprisoned your parents?"

Mal snorted. Was that all? "Doug's father helped murder Evie's mother. What's done is done." What good was trying to change the past? If she were powerful enough to rearrange time, that would be another story, but she didn't think even her mother could pull that feat off, not without major effort, and not without a catch.

No, no matter how much she wished she could change some things, the past was already written.

Ben mulled over her words. "My father's decree still shaped your lives. I wouldn't want to overstep."

"Why be such a stickler about this? You're going to be king, aren't you?"

"I never want to force anything on you guys, especially since you initially hadn't heard my proclamation."

"Not even forcing..." She made a face before she could stop herself, and she did her best to play it off, choosing a different word than the one that had nearly left her tongue. "Company?"

What was with her today? She was usually not so cavalier with her words, and yet now, in Ben's presence, she couldn't seem to control her mouth.

"Why do I get the feeling the word friend carries a bad connotation for you?" Ben asked, a lopsided little grin on his lips, but his eyes were kind, kind and sad.

Mal didn't say anything. She didn't have any friends, not really. Because those she claimed as hers weren't _friends_. Nothing as feeble as friendship kept them together; what bound them was something stronger. She just didn't know what to call it, so why bring it up to Ben?

Apparently sensing her apprehension, Ben continued speaking. "I wouldn't want to force friendship on you, Mal," he said sincerely, quietly. "I mean, you weren't forced to be with the others, right? You chose them yourself."

She had nothing to say to that as well. Because, ultimately, yes, she had chosen. But what really concerned her about this conversation was the fact that Ben had been eerily accurate with his assessment of her; the only people who had managed to pull that off were Jay, Evie, and Carlos. And Maleficent.

"I just want you to choose," Ben said quietly, softly, bringing her out of her musings. "I want you all to choose."

"Choose you," she said, keeping her tone and expression neutral, all while her mind — and her heart, curse the thing — was racing. Because who just up and says that, she thought.

Ben smiled, shy and small but genuine. "Choose whoever, as long as it's what you want. As long as you're happy."

And she took it back, she definitely had a problem with Ben. He smiled too much, too sincere and soft spoken. He said complete nonsense, like wishing Mal _happiness_ , as if it were something she deserved. He was too trusting, too encouraging, believed in them too much. Who does he think he is, she thought, refraining from scowling.

A treacherous little voice inside her head spoke then, asking her why should she be bothered by Ben, why when he possessed the depth of Jay's eyes, the brightness of Evie's smile, the quiet determination of Carlos' bearing.

And that realization made Mal freeze, and she stared at Ben in a new, terrifying light.

"Mal?" Ben prompted, concern beginning to lace his features.

Mal blinked, and whatever spell settled over her was gone. "You're weird," was all she said, which, apparently, was the correct thing to do as Ben laughed.

"I suppose I am," he said with a grin. He checked his wrist and let out a sigh. "I have to go now, but it was good talking to you." His words were once again a little too sincere for Mal's tastes. "Hope you're coming to the tourney game tomorrow. Jay's a great player, you'll be proud." Ben grinned again as he waved her goodbye, turning and walking away but still angling his body toward her.

I'm always proud of him, she thought as she waved. And then she paused, realizing what she was doing. She frowned. Keep your head, she thought, scolding herself, keep your head for their sake; don't be taken in by whatever underhanded tactics Auradon throws at you.

But even as she thought it, an unease trickled into her gut, into her head, into her heart, and Mal felt herself paling, felt herself go numb, because she knew the sensation of that particular unease, knew that it was different from the kind that settled in her when she was in the alleyways of the island or when she felt her mother's gaze.

No, this unease was the same as when she had decided to claim Carlos, to keep Jay, to claim Evie.

"What are you _doing_ ," she whispered to herself, heart pounding. Immediately, she began packing up, wanting to get as far away from that table as possible, away from that particular unease.

Keep your head, focus on the wand, do it for _them_ , she thought, over and over in a mantra, as she all but ran back to her dorm, pushing out any thought that wasn't about Jay or Evie or Carlos and the wand from her mind.

—

If only Mal's dreams listened to her resolve.

———

Jay stared at the shower wall, letting the water flow over him, his skin still buzzing. Actually playing tourney had turned out to be very different than practicing it. Coach had been reluctant to put Jay in the game — something about not yet fully appreciating teamwork — and for the good majority of it, Jay sat with Carlos on the bench, the both of them studying the other team, Carlos providing Jay with insight into their weaknesses and strategy.

It hadn't been until they were a few points up on the other team that Coach had let Jay join the game for experience, and when Jay had gotten on the field, had joined the huddle and saw Ben smiling widely at him, Jay felt _energy_ , different from the magic he fought to avoid.

It had felt like the energy of a _fight_ , had felt like his first time on the field all over again, and Jay's focus had become narrow, his actions rougher than what had been practiced. He hadn't heard anyone else, only barely registered Ben's calls. There had even been a few instances where he had collided with team members.

But despite his impairment, the team had won the game, cementing their place in the championships and allowing Jay to finally come to his senses, thankfully in time to notice Ben coming at him with that big smile of his. And when Ben had laughed with him, had congratulated him on playing in his first actual game, Jay had noticed Chad frown, nearly sneer, and not for the first time, Jay had wondered why Evie had to choose him.

(He, of course, kept his mouth shut because he knew what it meant for Evie to snag a prince, and if he was honest with himself, he wanted to see Chad in Evie's grasp, to see him brought down and put in his place. Because no one was a match for Evie when she put her mind to something.)

Instead of joining the others in the shower, though, Jay had been called to stay behind, and he'd seen a glimpse of purple and blue in the bleachers but looked away, not wanting to see Mal or Evie's faces, to see if their expressions were as disappointed as Coach's.

Which left him in the showers alone, brooding, because Coach's talk — yet again about teamwork — ran a little long for Jay's taste. By the time he'd made it to the locker room, Carlos was waiting for him, already showered and dressed, one of the few remaining in the room.

But Jay waved him off, told him to tell the girls he'd be by later, and took his shower in peace.

Until the heat began to bloom in his belly, like it usually did after practice.

Well, you do need the stress relief, he thought, amused, closing his eyes as he stood in the spray of the shower, completely still.

Letting out a breath, knowing he was alone, Jay let his hand travel to his cock, and he let his mind wander. Immediately, images of Carlos filled his head, and his mind made him ache for Carlos' touch, for his lips, his grin, his moans, everything. Jay moaned as he stroked himself, imagining and wishing it was Carlos' hand on his cock instead of his own. If he closed his eyes, he could definitely pretend he wasn't alone, so close his eyes he did.

And the moment they closed, his brain took over, and he was staring at Carlos, naked and wet, taking in the heat of Carlos' eyes as he stroked him. But Carlos wasn't looking at him; no, he was staring over Jay's shoulder, and when Jay followed Carlos' gaze, he came face to face with Ben. 

Ben, glorious in his nudity, body toned and beautiful, his cock fat even as it hung between his legs — and Jay moaned both inside and outside of his fantasy; he had always tried not to peek in the showers, but being in such close proximity to his teammates meant seeing things, and from what he _had_ seen, Ben definitely had a body worthy of the word _kingly_ , in every aspect.

The Ben in his fantasy pulled Jay flush against him, letting Jay feel his soft yet firm body, let Jay moan as Ben's hands roamed over Jay's own body. Ben grinned, that soft and sincere grin that had only ever put Jay on edge but was now lighting a fire in Jay's belly, and he pulled Jay closer, pulled him right into a kiss, soft and gentle yet so heated it made Jay dizzy. When they broke apart, Ben didn't push Jay away, still keeping him close as Ben's hands traveled to Jay's cock.

Jay whined, and the fact that the noise reverberated, too loud in his ears, brought Jay back to reality, and the realization of just _what_ he'd been imagining hit him hard, chilling him despite the warmth of the water and the heat still in his gut. Allah, how fucked am I, he thought, trying to calm himself. Stop doing this shit; remember what you did to Carlos, he thought, scolding himself for getting so horny again, for almost letting his arousal overtake him, for almost _projecting_ onto Carlos again.

At the thought of projecting, though, Mal's words flitted into his head: _Focus on me, Jay_. He shivered automatically at the memory of Mal taking him in every way except in body. For a few long seconds, Jay debated. It was true he still felt that heat in his belly, recognized it as an excess of magic, but could he really try to focus that on Mal?

Taking another breath, Jay closed his eyes, and he focused.

And then Mal was there, cupping his chin, turning it this way and that, cool eyes studying him, her face impassive, and Jay got hard all over again — even though he was vaguely aware that Mal wasn't _really_ there.

This Mal had too heated a presence. 

"I know what you want," she murmured, and she removed her hand, backed away so that Ben was once again before Jay, this time on his knees. "I know you want his mouth," Mal murmured, and that cool gaze flickered down at Ben.

And Jay couldn't breathe because Ben on his knees, looking up at Jay through those long lashes as his cheeks flushed with arousal and shyness, fuck, it made Jay dizzy with want. He groaned when Ben licked his lips, when Ben tentatively took the head of Jay's cock between his lips, sucking softly as his hand began to lazily stroke Jay, all without breaking eye contact.

The sight alone was nearly enough to make him come because, fuck, Jay never thought, not in a million years, that Ben would degrade himself like this, for Jay.

"Don't come yet," Mal ordered. "Let His Majesty show you what he's capable of."

At the words, Ben's face flushed darker, creeping down his neck and into his chest, but he closed his eyes and took as much of Jay in as he could, moaning as he did, and Jay nearly choked because Ben was shy but eager to please, spurred on by Mal's words and Jay's own breathing, and each bob of his head, each swirl of his tongue, the pressure of each suck drove Jay wild.

"Don't come down his throat," Mal said, tone authoritative. "Come all over that pretty face."

And they both groaned at the order, and Jay grabbed a fistful of Ben's hair, pulling him off of his cock, and he groaned when Ben tilted his head up, mouth slightly open in waiting, and it only took Jay a few more strokes for release to him, coming with a breathless gasp as he watched his come paint Ben's mouth, chin, and cheek.

"Good," Mal nearly purred, and when Jay ventured a glance at her, she was pleased. "Now stand there and watch Carlos clean Ben."

Her words, impossibly, turned the fading embers in his gut to a roaring blaze all over again, and Jay watched as Carlos pulled Ben up by the hair, watched as Carlos turned Ben's face to Jay, watched as Carlos held his gaze as he licked the come off of Ben's chin.

Fuck, Jay was getting hard _again_ , he wanted to go to them so badly, especially when Ben began stroking Carlos' cock.

"Don't move, Jay," Mal commanded, her very voice pinning him to his spot. "You have someone else to please."

Brow creasing slightly, Jay tried to look around, but the hands on his hips stilled any movement he made as they slowly moved from his hips to his navel — such big, warm, _dark_ hands. Jay swallowed. Mal couldn't mean...

"You still have to understand teamwork, Jay," Coach said into his ear, causing Jay to fucking shudder, practically melting against that strong body.

And fuck, Jay could come right there and then, just from the man's presence.

"M-Mal..." Jay groaned out as Coach caressed his body, one hand traveling to his neck, the other to his thigh.

"Hush, Jay," Mal murmured, appearing before him again. "I know what you want," she said as she cupped his chin. "I know what you need." Her eyes flickered to Coach briefly before settling on Jay once more. "I know you now, so let yourself go."

Throat dry, Jay could only nod, could only whine as Coach's hand encircled his neck, as his other hand moved to Jay's ass, and all Jay could think of was yes please please fuck me I need it _please_.

"You were great today, Jay," Coach murmured in his ear, tilting Jay's neck so he could kiss along Jay's jaw. "Probably my best player. Let me reward you."

And Jay could only moan, his cock so hard already and _leaking_ as he felt Coach's big fingers play with his ass, one finger slipping in already. Jay let his head fall back against Coach's shoulder, and he bit his lip, forcing his hips still, restraining from pushing for more.

"He doesn't need much prep," Mal's voice said from somewhere, making Jay's heart skip a beat. "He doesn't want much prep."

"That true, Jay?" Coach asked him, still placing kisses upon his skin.

Fuck, don't make me say it, Jay thought as he nodded his head, his hips moving without his permission.

"You have to tell me, Jay." Coach added another finger then, thrusting in a little rougher, making Jay whine. "Communication is a big part of teamwork."

"I-I don't need it," Jay found himself saying, mind too hazy, body too on fire to stop himself. "Allah, please, fuck me please I want—" Jay cried out, groaning, as he felt Coach's cock push into him, stretching him in the best way.

"Fuck, you're tight," Coach breathed out, still pushing in, still filling Jay. "Haven't taken it in a while, have you?" he asked, one hand gripping Jay's hip, the other caressing his neck.

Jay shook his head, panting, trying his hardest not to just push back against Coach's hips. Of course he hadn't; he never wanted to release his demons, to broadcast his weakness, not even to those who claimed him.

"You finger yourself, Jay?" Coach asked once Jay was fully seated on his dick, the hand on Jay's neck moving downward. "When you're all alone and getting off, do you finger yourself?" That big hand of his settled over Jay's pec, his palm slowly rubbing against Jay's nipple.

Jay whined, arching into the touch. "N-no, I—" Jay's gaze cut across to Mal, panicked, because of _course_ he wanted to, wanted to stroke and finger himself as he came, but he never allowed himself, too fearful of releasing his vices, of losing himself completely in the act.

Coached shushed him, his fingers now playing with his nipple, rubbing the nub between them, as he gently began moving, setting Jay's nerves on fire. "You can do it later, when you're aching for me." He bit the back of Jay's neck the same time as he delivered a rough thrust, filling Jay up suddenly and completely, the same time Coach's fingers pinched him.

Jay moaned, the sensations too much, and he came again, his whole body shaking as Coach massaged his pecs, as he kneaded them.

"Now fuck him," Mal said. "He wants that over-stimulation."

Without a word, Coach grabbed Jay's hips and began moving with fervor, and Jay could only keen at the assault, at the delicious rawness that encased him, his nerves buzzing, head clouding over, leaving him gasping and moaning and nearly sobbing at the feel of Coach within him, at the roughness of Coach's thrusts, of his hands.

It was almost perfect.

And Jay continued moaning, each of Coach's thrusts knocking the breath out of him, the grip of Coach's hands hard enough to leave bruises that Jay would wear with _pride_ , and even though he came twice already, Jay could feel his cock stirring again, could feel his body awaking from its nearly numb over-stimulated state.

And then Mal was beside him. "Shh," she murmured as she grabbed his hair, as she held up his head, caressing his cheek. "Don't think, Jay. Just open your mouth."

Without thinking, Jay did as told, moaning anew as cock filled his mouth.

"That's it, Jay," he heard Mal whisper near his ear. "I know what you want, so just let Carlos facefuck you as he pleases."

Carlos started moving, grabbing Jay's head and bringing him all the way on his cock, and Jay would have sang if he could, because the feeling of Carlos hitting the back of his throat while Coach fucked him hard and deep drove him wild, almost as much as the thought of them using him for their own pleasure.

"There's something missing, isn't there, Jay?" Mal asked, sounding as if she already knew the answer, which was a good thing as Jay lacked the both the mental and physical ability to answer her. "Because you're not quite satisfied yet."

Before he could even attempt to figure out what she meant, Jay felt warm, wet heat around his dick, and the thought of Ben sucking him off again, the thought of Coach fucking Jay into Ben's mouth, made Jay actually cry with lust.

"This is what you need, isn't it, Jay," he heard Mal say, and he could only whine from the back of his throat. "You want to be used like this," he heard her say as she pulled his arms behind his back and held them there, and Jay nearly sobbed. "Then take it all, Jay."

And Jay moaned, no longer caring how he sounded, how he must look, because all he could process was the sensation of being so full, of being taken in every way possible, body and mind and soul. His jaw ached with each of Carlos' thrusts, his drool and Carlos' pre-come slipping down his chin, his dick throbbed with every movement of Ben's tongue, his body trembling every time Ben fondled his balls, his hips and ass were already sore from Coach's big hands and long cock, everything set the fire within him ablaze, and it threatened to consume him.

He felt Mal's hand in his hair, petting him. "You take it so well, such a pretty thing," she murmured in his ear, biting the lobe. "When they come inside you" — Jay groaned — "I want you to come down Ben's throat." She kissed his cheek. "I know you'll make me proud."

Her words sent a jolt through him, making him moan out, and then his senses were filled with them, completely overwhelmed and powerless in their grasp, mind numb from the pleasure, and it felt _so good_ , unlike anything he experienced before, and all Jay wanted was more, was for it to never end.

But then Coach's pace quickened, became rougher and erratic, and he pulled Jay back onto him, seating Jay fully on his dick, and came inside him with a low groan, and then Carlos was burying his cock deep down Jay's throat, coating it with his come, making Jay drink it all, as if he would even think of wasting even a single drop, and then Jay felt Ben swallow him down as Jay's own release hit him, felt Ben take as much of Jay as he could into his mouth as he took all that Jay gave him, and the sensations were too much — being so full and filled and milked and used and cared for— 

And Jay opened his eyes, his knees giving out as his whole body shook with the most intense orgasm of his life. He stayed there, fallen on the shower floor, a hand on his cock and fingers in his ass, letting the water wash away his come along with his thoughts.

His head felt clearer, his body more at ease.

Fuck me, Mal was right, he thought, chuckling to himself. His chuckles turned into full laughter, borderline cackles, because he indulged the fantasies he kept hidden away, locked up in the darkness where he belonged, indulged in them and still remained in the light, still remained unchanged.

He wasn't doomed after all.

Which meant he could do it again. Which meant he needed to find Mal and thank her. Too bad she didn't like people going down on her; he'd stay between her legs all week in his gratitude. But as that wasn't her thing, he'd just have to figure out another way to thank her properly.

Because for the first time in his life, Jay felt as close to free as he'd ever been.

———

"So," Lonnie began as she placed her tray on the table, seemingly unconcerned with the fact that she sat down way too close to Mal, "you guys are definitely more trick people, right?" She looked expectantly at each of them, idly playing with a lock of her newly styled hair as she picked up her fork.

Blinking at her, Mal raised her eyebrow, looking to the others before addressing Lonnie. "Well, on principle, but what do you mean?" So much for a quiet lunch break, she thought, missing the days where she could hide away in one of the many nooks and crannies of Dragon Hall for a nap.

"You know," Lonnie drawled, more interested in Evie's tangerines. She smiled wide when Evie pushed them toward her. "Thanks! They're my favorite," she said as she slipped a slice into her mouth.

"Tell us what you meant by trick people and we'll call it even," Evie said sweetly, but Mal could tell she was aflutter with curiosity.

"As in trick or treat," Lonnie said, but before Mal could ask her to elaborate further, Lonnie perked up, a wide smile on her face as she waved someone over. "Jane! Don't you think they're more trick than treat?"

Walking over slowly, Jane made a face. "It, it isn't nice to stereotype," she said as she sat down as well, next to Evie.

"That isn't what I asked," Lonnie practically sing-songed.

Blushing, Jane stared at her hands as she mumbled, "Okay, I thought the same thing."

"See," Lonnie said triumphantly. "You guys definitely broadcast tricking rather than treating."

"Okay, if someone doesn't explain, I think I'm going to get angry," Mal said, annoyed.

"Hey, guys," Doug greeted, sitting down next to Carlos.

"Unbelievable," Mal muttered, nearly snapping her pencil in half, her mood not lifting as Jay laughed.

"Okay, everyone chill for a second," he said, raising his eyebrow at the Auradonians at the table. "What does trick or treat even mean?"

Doug and Jane blinked at him, and Lonnie looked at each of them, bewildered.

"Thanks for the explanation," Carlos said dryly, deadpan. "It really helped."

His words seemed to snap the Auradonians out of whatever stupor that befell them. "Trick or treat, as in Halloween?" Doug began, brow furrowed.

"Halloween?" Evie repeated, head tilted. "Why does that sound familiar," she murmured, her gaze settling on Mal.

Mal only shrugged.

"You can't be serious," Lonnie said, shocked. "You're from the Isle of the Lost! Isn't Halloween supposed to be the holiday of the year or something?"

"Why?" Carlos and Jay asked at the same time, and their expressions were identical to Evie's, whose expression was identical to Mal's. Confused.

Jane remained silent, her gaze shifting from Lonnie to Doug, clearly deciding to let the older kids handle whatever conversation was about to take place.

"Halloween is like," Doug began, brow creased as he tried to gather his words. "Halloween is when you dress up in costumes and go trick or treating, which, uh, basically means that you go to your neighbor's door and ask for candy."

"Doug," Lonnie said with a sigh, shaking her head at the blank faces on the islanders. "He's doing a terrible job of explaining it. When I first left my kingdom's borders, I didn't know what Halloween meant either, but—"

"Why not?" Evie asked, curious.

"I'm Chinese," Lonnie said patiently. "Anyway, but when I actually learned what people do for Halloween, it quickly became a favorite of mine."

"So you just. Go asking people for candy?" Jay asked, skeptical. "And no actual tricks to get it? What's the point?"

"So I take it that doesn't happen on the isle?" Doug asked.

"You don't ask for anything on the island, much less _candy_ ," Carlos said, bored of the topic and once again in his laptop. "I don't even think there was much candy on the island."

"Then... then what did you guys actually do on Halloween?" Jane asked tentatively, curious.

Mal shrugged. "Tell me when it is, and I'll tell you."

"The thirty-first of October," Lonnie answered.

"Oh that," Mal said, bored now. "The thing Frollo calls All Hallow's Eve." When the others groaned, Jay particularly loud, causing the Auradonians to frown, Mal continued. "There's nothing special about that day on the island. The people who actually listen to that crackpot might go with him to pray or whatever he does" — Jay shuddered at the words, and Mal resolutely ignored the memories of rumors concerning Frollo and his followers — "but most of the time, no one did anything."

"Other than drinking till dawn," Carlos reminded.

"That's so weird," Lonnie said, clearly disappointed.

"Why?" Evie asked again, blinking at Lonnie, at Doug and Jane. "Why would you think Halloween was big on the island?" It clearly didn't make any sense to her, just as it didn't make any sense to Mal, and all of them waited on whatever explanation the Auradonians had to offer.

"The whole death thing," Jane said quietly.

Carlos stopped typing, and Evie and Jay looked at Jane with interest, and Mal couldn't blame them.

"What death thing?" Mal asked, taking care not to seem too demanding.

Swallowing, Jane looked at Lonnie and Doug before speaking. "Well, in whichever culture you look at, Halloween almost always has a relation to the dead. It's the night where spirits can walk the Earth again. That's where the costumes come in: long ago, it was thought that you could fool the spirits by dressing up as something else, so that they wouldn't harm you; you dress up as the things that scare you so that you would be safe. It used to be that Halloween was a day where you had to take caution when walking about at night. I, um, I don't actually know where asking for candy came into the holiday, or when it became so lighthearted."

"Return of the dead, huh?" Mal said, still unimpressed with the holiday. "Why would you think that's special, especially on the island?"

"Yeah, half the people there _are_ back from the dead," Jay said, folding his arms across his chest. "Why should they fear any spirit?"

"I, uh, didn't think about that," Doug admitted.

"Yeah," Lonnie agreed, propping her hand on her chin as she leaned on the table. "Guess it's pretty useless to fear death on the island, huh?"

Mal shared a look with the others, Carlos in particular. Guess they don't know about the beast king's decree, she thought; it didn't surprise her, given her dreams, given the glossed over history in all the history books.

"So people on the island," Jane began, leaning in to whisper, "they aren't afraid of anything?"

"Oh there's something to be afraid of, all right," Mal said, suppressing a chill at even the thought of it. One of the few things her mother actually taught her was not to go out on April thirtieth, especially at night, taught her to stay in her room with the door and windows locked. Those were the twenty-four hours that Mal _knew_ her mother would be within the tower.

"Stop," Evie said, shivering despite the warmth. "I hate even talking about it." And Evie did look pale, the frown on her face upsetting so much so that Mal regretted bringing the topic up.

"Even my mother would shut herself in her room every April thirtieth," Carlos recalled quietly, his fingers frozen, as was his whole being, and Mal knew he was remembering how he actually had a breather for twenty-four hours — even though all he did was curl up _under_ his mattress.

"Drop it," Jay said sternly, and Mal was struck with the thought that she never knew what he did on that day and night, never knew what those twenty-four hours meant for Jay.

Given the revelation about Jafar, Mal wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Did Jafar, mental and arrogant as he was, fear what everyone else on the island feared, the entity that even _Cruella_ , even _Maleficent_ , feared?

"Wait," Lonnie said, more attentive, "what happens on April thirtieth?"

"Does this mean you guys aren't going to the Halloween Ball?" Jane said quickly, eyes wide as she stared at Mal.

But Mal knew those wide eyes had nothing to do with the ball Jane spoke of, nothing to do with the possibility of them not attending it; no, Jane was _deliberately_ changing the topic, and Mal reassessed her opinion of the half-fae. Maybe Jane knew more than she let on.

Maybe Jane knew exactly who they were talking about. Secrets in Auradon just keep getting bigger, she thought, the hair at the back of her neck rising slightly.

"A ball?" Evie asked, perking up brilliantly now that she was presented with another topic. "Is it extravagant?" She sighed, expression already dreamy as she propped her chin on her hand, daydreaming.

Jane's face fell a little, sheepish. "Well, it's called a ball, but it's mostly just a big costumed dance. B-but," she continued when she noticed the smile slip from Evie's face, "a lot of girls do wear gowns!"

"Think of it as a type of masquerade," Lonnie said. Though she seemed a little disappointed in the change of topic, excitement _was_ on her face at the thought of the ball. "Do you think you can do my hair for that, Mal?"

Pursing her lips, Mal shrugged. "When is it?"

"The thirty-first, Halloween!" Lonnie said, exasperated but smiling.

"So like a week," Mal said, unfazed.

"Guess that explains the hustle and bustle lately," Carlos murmured, resuming his typing.

"Only a week!" Evie exclaimed, affronted. "I need to make our outfits!"

"With what?" Jay asked, and he winced at Evie's expression, at her forlorn look when she realized that they couldn't steal material.

"Mal can help with that," Lonnie said pleasantly.

"I'm not making outfits," Mal said, having no intention of picking up needle and thread.

"No, I meant, a lot of girls like what you've done with my hair, Jane's too," Lonnie explain, a grin spreading across her face. "And all of them are willing to pay."

Eyebrow raised in interest, Mal glanced at Evie, saw her pouting plea, and rolled her eyes. "If they pay, fine."

Evie squealed, clapping her fingers excitedly. "I have so many ideas! Carlos, what are you doing after class?"

"Homework," Carlos said, deadpan.

Rolling her eyes, Evie continued speaking. "Okay, then come to our room. I need your brain for a thunderstorm!"

"Okay," Carlos answered, giving her a nod before returning to his laptop.

"Thunderstorm?" Doug asked, blinking.

Jay snorted. "Their version of a brainstorming session. You do not want to get caught in that, trust me."

Doug raised an eyebrow and turned to Carlos. "So, you like fashion?"

Carlos didn't say anything, but only because he probably thought no one was addressing him. It wasn't until Jay nudged him with his elbow that Carlos blinked away from his screen. "What?"

Evie chuckled. "Carlos is like my consultant," she said, informing the table at large, giving a little wink to Jane. "Whenever I need a second opinion concerning which fabrics are easier to manipulate, Carlos is the one I trust."

"Really?" Lonnie said, attention fully on Carlos.

Clearing his throat, Carlos nodded. "Yeah... It, uh... Knowing fabrics came with the territory." He shrugged, once again returning to his screen, but this time, there was a small crease in his brow.

It made Mal frown, mostly because she remembered what Cruella would do to Carlos should he fail at keeping up her voluminous wardrobe, and she cut her gaze to Jay, who gave her a subtle nod.

"So," he said before the Auradonians could pester Carlos further, "what type of things are worn at this ball thing?"

"Masks," Lonnie and Doug said together.

"Masks," Mal repeated, unimpressed.

"Like I said, think of it as a masquerade type of deal," Lonnie said with a shrug. "Wear a gown or a suit, and top it off with a mask."

"Um," Jane begin, cheeks tinting pink, "I heard that people pick themes for their outfit."

"Heard?" Jay asked, mild interest in his voice as he picked at Carlos' food.

Jane's cheeks turned redder. "I've never been," she murmured quietly, eyes downcast.

"Why not?" Mal asked, puzzled slightly. "Isn't this Halloween thing a tradition here?"

"Yes, it is, but, well, my mother..." Jane cleared her throat, giving a half-hearted little shrug, still not quite looking at them.

"Well, I'm inviting you," Evie declared, placing a hand on Jane's shoulder. "Would you like me to make you an outfit?" she asked, excitement returning to her face.

Mal raised her eyebrow at Evie's sudden case of altruism, but what surprised her more was the fact that Jane immediately shook her head.

"N-no, that's okay! I don't think I'd be confident enough to wear whatever you come up with," she said, embarrassed, but she relaxed some when Evie simply smiled at her, giving Jane's shoulder a little pat before removing her hand.

"Is that offer extended to anyone?" Lonnie asked.

"I'm afraid not," Evie said, smiling brightly. "I only offered because she hadn't been to one. Anyone else probably knows the ropes by now."

Shrugging, Lonnie nodded. "That's fair." She grinned. "I'm more interested in seeing what you come up with, though. It's about time someone rocked the boat a little."

"How island of you," Jay said, grinning as well. He nodded at Doug. "What about you, slim? Wearing something special?"

Doug frowned. "Well, not really? Just the standard suit."

"Before anyone gets carried away," Mal said because, really, she could see that Jay's question was about to make the table go into the particulars of ball attire. "Are there any rules to this ball?"

"Treat everyone with respect," Lonnie recited, and it looked like she wanted to roll her eyes. "But other than that? Not much." The corners of her mouth twitched upward. "No one's ever caused trouble before. Looking to be the first?"

Mal snorted but didn't say anything. She wasn't going to make promises, especially if someone _else_ wanted to start trouble with them first.

"Yeah, there isn't even an official rule that says you can't wear other outfits to the ball," Doug said. "Two years ago, some students dressed in regular costumes, and last year, a good bit more did as well. It's just preference."

"What does Ben wear?" Carlos asked, surprising everyone.

Mal didn't think he'd been paying attention.

Lonnie sighed, a goofy grin on her lips. "He wears _the_ finest suits. Comes with the perks of being the high king's son, I guess."

Evie sighed, too, her Dreamy Gaze definitely in place. "I can just imagine. Oh, Mal, I can't wait!"

Mal rolled her eyes, but she allowed herself to smirk, especially since Jay was grinning with open affection at Evie. She'd finally get her royal affair, after all, and who knows. Perhaps she'd finally seduce Chad and be done with it.

But in the meantime, Mal thought as she snapped her fingers in front of Evie's face. "Don't get in trouble in class just because they've filled your head with this masquerade nonsense."

Evie smiled for her as she nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Speaking of class," Doug said as he stood up, facing Evie. "Shall we make our way?"

"Fiddlesticks," Lonnie said, slipping her last tangerine slice into her mouth as she stood. "Gotta catch Dr. Sweet before lunch ends, see ya!" And she was off, walking pretty fast for someone in heels.

"Okay then," Evie said after a moment, gathering her things. She paused briefly, still not used to being unable to kiss each other farewell, but she smiled and placed a hand on Jane's shoulder. "Let me know if you change your mind. Bye!" She waved to everyone and walked off to class, Doug following her lead.

Jane blinked, her gaze following them before she turned to Mal. "Would she really make me an outfit?"

"Yes," Jay and Carlos said at the same time, and Mal huffed in amusement.

"Why?" Jane asked, brow furrowed. "I mean, I guess for money, so—"

"She likes it," Jay said, voice dripping with boredom. "Just let her do it. You can tell your mom that she gave you an outfit as a gift, so you don't want it to go to waste. Boom, you're at the ball."

"You want me to _lie_?" Jane asked, aghast, looking at Mal with wide eyes.

Eyebrow raised at Jane's reaction, Mal snorted. "I don't think Evie was going to make you pay, so technically, it would be a gift."

For some reason, Jane looked at Mal with something like awe on her face before confusion washed over Jane's features. "Why wouldn't she make me pay?"

"Because you've never been and she wants to make your outfit," Carlos said as he power downed his laptop.

At Jane's blank look, Mal sighed. "You can have input in your dress, you know."

Mal's words snapped Jane out of it, and she blushed. "Um. When should I come over?"

"Not today," Jay said with a huff of amusement. "I was serious when I said you don't want to get caught in their thunderstorm." He laughed when Carlos hit him in the shoulder as he stood up.

"We'll talk more about it tomorrow at lunch," Carlos said, shouldering his bag. "Just think of what you want to wear." He turned to Mal and Jay. "See you later." He gave them a little wave and then made his trek to class.

"And you're okay with this?" Jane asked Mal, her cheeks pink.

Mal raised an eyebrow. "I'm okay with whatever she wants," she answered. Far be it from her to deny Evie an affair that she'd been dreaming about.

Nodding, Jane stood up, dusting herself off. "Okay. Um. See you later then." She gave them something like a curtsy and promptly left.

"Interesting, that one," Jay drawled, watching Jane as she walked away.

Making a noncommittal hum, Mal studied Jay instead. "So you can sense something?"

Frowning, Jay met her eyes. "Unfortunately. But, I don't know, it's weird." His frowned deepened. "It doesn't feel like Evie or you." He sighed. "Then again, the fuck do I know about magic?"

Mal said nothing; after all, for all her talk, she hardly knew anything about magic either. But she did know that she sensed _something_ about Jane. Perhaps Evie had sensed it, too, perhaps that was the real reason she wanted to make Jane's dress. "C'mon," she said instead as she stood up, "can't be late for class."

Jay shrugged but did as told.

Mal cast a final look in the direction Jane had gone.

Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like this ball, she thought as she walked with Jay to class.

———

Evie couldn't help the bounce in her step as she and Doug made their way to class.

A ball! Ever since she was old enough to read the books in her mother's castle, Evie had always wanted to go to a ball — any kind of ball — and her mind raced with ideas for possible outfits they could wear. All she needed was Carlos' input and the money from Mal's little hair service.

(She wished Jay could simply steal the materials, but most of the people Jay had stolen from that first week had made a fuss about missing items; another reason they all kept low profiles.)

"Is it really not extravagant?" she asked Doug; she needed to gauge just how proper their outfits needed to be.

"Compared to others? No," Doug answered with a shrug. "The really fancy stuff is usually reserved for the king's birthday, or Ben's birthday ever since he was named heir apparent. I guess you could call the ball held during Christmas fancy as well, actually."

Christmas, she thought, puzzled. She placed the thought out of her head, though, figuring she'd ask more about it later. "And what is the fashion like here?" she asked instead. The last thing she wanted to do was make those she claimed and who claimed her look ridiculous.

Doug grinned, sheepish. "I think you're asking the wrong person for that, but, you know, you could get with Carlos and do searches on his laptop. Or ask Lonnie."

"You don't even know the trends in men's fashion?" Evie asked, skeptical. After all, seeing as he was Dwarf kin, it would be to Doug's advantage to keep up with what was popular, if only to blend in better.

Shrugging, Doug fiddled with his bookbag. "Well, I mean, I like what I like, and sometimes it might clash with what the royalty likes. Sometimes it might not, but I wouldn't really recommend myself to give fashion tips." He cleared his throat. "Especially since I don't want to give you wrong information."

Evie smiled. She could appreciate that, even if he and his reasoning confused her.

"Hey there," came a purr.

Evie froze, heart racing, and she turned slowly, making sure to keep calm and composed as she smiled at Chad. "Hey yourself," she said.

Chad grinned, giving her wink.

"Hey, Chad," Doug said, a little too pleasantly.

Eyebrow raised, Chad merely huffed in amusement. "Hello, _Doug_." He smiled. "You wouldn't mind me speaking with Evie, would you?"

Subtly, Evie tried to gauge Doug's reaction to the barely veiled condescension in Chad's tone.

Doug, though, merely shook his head, stepping back a little.

Odd, he's never appeared quite so timid before, Evie thought as she shifted her focus to Chad.

"How have you been, lovely girl?" he asked her, the dimples of his smile dazzling.

Refraining from sighing, Evie let herself giggle, giving a slow bat of her eyelashes. "Better, now that we're speaking."

Chuckling, Chad glanced at Doug, eyebrows rising just a bit before he gave his attention back to Evie. "You wouldn't happen to have—"

"Your homework?" Evie finished for him, already pulling the assignments out of her bag. "Of course." I'm dependable, the perfect quality in a wife, she thought as she handed the papers over, smiling coyly for him.

"You're amazing," Chad purred out, quickly taking the homework from Evie's hands. "I guess that means we'll have to have a date after classes. Let's meet under the bleachers, say, three-fifteen?" He winked.

Finally; I can fuck him and show him what he's been missing, Evie thought with elation. "Sounds perfect," Evie said, letting her hand rest on his forearm, unable to wait to finally cement herself as his wife.

Looking in her eyes, smiling that charming smile of his, Chad placed his hand over Evie's, bringing it to his lips, and he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. "See you later, my lovely girl." He winked again as he walked away.

"Bye," Evie sighed out after him. She continued her trek to class with even more bounce.

Beside her, Doug cleared his throat. "So, you've been on many dates?"

Amused, Evie sent a smirk his way. "With Chad? No, sadly," she said, trying not to pout. The last time they had scheduled a date, one of his teachers had called him in for a conference; he had apologized to her, but she was still upset, especially since she had told Mal about the date beforehand — she was so embarrassed that she ended up holing away in the library for an hour or two.

"And, uh, on the island?" Doug asked, clearly embarrassed.

Evie couldn't help but laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know," she teased. Though, truthfully, _dating_ wasn't really a thing on the island, not like how she'd heard happened here.

Doug merely chuckled, though, rubbing the back of his neck as they entered the building. "Guess I sorta set myself up for that one."

"At least you're self-aware," Evie said, amused, and she let herself daydream about the fact that she'd finally be going on a real date.

Until Doug cleared his throat again.

"Um, Evie," he began, nervous and unsure as he took a big breath. "Chad isn't... that great a guy." He bit his lip, clearly torn on what he should say. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

He doesn't have to be a great guy; all I need is his title, she thought as she studied Doug, taking in the genuine worry for her well-being. He obviously underestimated her, but his worry was a little sweet. "I can take care of myself," she told him, matter-of-fact.

Besides, she doubted that Chad, the beloved son of King Christopher and his Queen Consort Cinderella, could do anything half as bad as what was done on the island.

—

Evie arrived at their meeting spot a few minutes early to double check her makeup in her mirror. She didn't recall Carlos saying they had tourney today, which meant that Chad wanted to spent his day off with _her_ , and she figured she'd have Chad all to herself.

A real date, and with a prince, she thought, elated, as she imagined where Chad would take her, imagined what they would do. She'd have to think on her feet, would have to think of a way to turn whatever their activities would be into her seduction, but she was prepared.

Even though the thought of fucking someone other than those who claimed her made her a little ill, especially since Mal wouldn't be there to watch over her, Evie held her resolve. Snagging Chad wasn't for _her_ , it was for her mother.

It was so she never had to stand still for another of her mother's inspections.

"Early this time," came Chad's voice, surprising her, and when she turned around, Chad was grinning as he walked up beside her. "That makes this harder," he said, apologetic.

Evie's stomach dropped. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to stay calm. He's already done with me, he's already done and he hadn't so much as kissed me yet, she thought, mood souring.

"I've got so much homework to do," Chad sighed out, running a hand through his hair, "and now I've got to meet with the Fairy Godmother. I'm just swamped again." He gazed at her, his eyes big, a small frown on his face. "Maybe if you continue doing my homework, I'll be able to spare some time after meeting with Fairy Godmother?" He smiled, hopeful, as he presented her with his school bag.

"Oh, okay..." she said, taking it without showing how disappointed she was. She blinked. Wait, of course, he's _Cinderella's_ son, why didn't I think of that before, she thought, clutching the bag to her chest. "You spend a lot of time with Fairy Godmother?" she asked innocently, taking his hand in hers. "Does that mean you know a lot about her wand?" She smiled for him as her thumb rubbed circles into the back of his hand.

For a brief moment, Chad looked like he was going to frown, but then his charming grin spread out on his face. "No, we never talk about the wand." He removed his hand from hers, playing with a lock of her hair instead. "Thanks for the help, lovely girl. I'll see you around."

And before she could get a word in, Chad was already making the trek to wherever he needed to be.

And so she stood there, quietly fuming, quietly questioning, her grip on his bag too tight.

"Um, I couldn't help but overhear..." Doug said as he awkwardly climbed down from the bleachers.

"Didn't take you for a stalker," Evie said, just barely holding her composure, and really, if she hadn't determined that Doug was the least threatening thing at this school, she would have introduced his legs to the acid she swiped from chemistry.

"L-lots of people hang out here," he stammered out, adjusting the collar of his shirt in nervousness.

"Original," Evie said, smiling in that sweet way that meant _fuck off_. "I should be going." She was not in the mood to entertain his little crush at the moment.

"B-but, I was hoping to discuss the wand with you," Doug said in a rush.

Evie paused, turning to him with a raised eyebrow. "As in, Fairy Godmother's?"

"One and the same! I, too, have a fascination with it!" He cleared his throat. "I mean, it's the only magical artifact in The Museum of Cultural History that's under a magical force field. That's interesting, isn't it?" he asked, expression hopeful.

"Tons," Evie said, bored with the conversation. She didn't want to talk about the force field, about its alluring call that ensnared Jay, that made him pale.

Jay might not have known he was so open with his expressions then, but Evie had see it with her own two eyes. Whatever had occurred between him and that force field had _terrified_ him.

Doug cleared his throat again. "Anyway, the wand is another reason I'm looking forward to the coronation. Perhaps, maybe, we could stand next to each other and discuss its attributes?"

Ha, good luck with that, Evie thought, opening her mouth to tell him thanks but no thanks when his words clicked. No way, it can't be that easy, she thought, studying him. "Are you saying it's used during the coronation?"

Doug smiled, nodding. "Yes, of course. Fairy Godmother will bless Ben with it. Not that he needs it, right?" He laughed, nervous, before clearing his throat yet again. "So, about standing together...?"

Evie chuckled, no longer in a foul mood, and she stepped closer to Doug, her smile widening when he sighed at her presence. She lightly patted his cheek. "Bye, Doug," she said sweetly, and she walked away, not bothering to look back to see what state she left him in.

She needed to see Mal.

—

"Mal!" Evie said as she rushed into their room, a little breathy despite her efforts. Though, practically sprinting back to the dorms would leave anyone gasping for air, so she figured she kept her composure pretty well.

Mal blinked at her from her bed, her pencil frozen on the page she was sketching on, and Carlos and Jay looked up from their spot on the floor, their books scattered around them, brows creased.

Evie opened her mouth, but she paused, blinking as she closed her mouth. Glancing behind her, she closed the door, locking it, even whispering a little charm into the wood for extra measure, and when she turned around, she came face to face with Mal's stormy expression.

"What happened?" she questioned, her gaze roaming over her body, analyzing, trying to find anything out of place.

Even now, after all this time, the action made Evie's heart flutter. "No, nothing like that!" she quickly said, taking Mal's hands in hers, her thumbs smoothing circles into Mal's skin. "I've got a lead on the wand!"

Jay and Carlos jumped to their feet as Mal brought Evie farther into the room, leading her to the table. "What have you learned?" Mal asked, letting her sit down, focus on her completely.

Licking her lips, Evie took a small breath. "Fairy Godmother uses it to bless Ben during his coronation." She smiled, imagining the event, imagining the dresses and the suits and the _affair_ of it all. "It'll be out of the force field, unprotected."

"And in the Fairy Godmother's hands," Jay reminded, but there was calculation in his features, his mind churning with plans and scenarios, just like the rest of them.

"When is the coronation?" Carlos asked, glancing at Jay, at Mal, the gears spinning in his head.

"The end of November," Evie answered, heart racing already. A little over a month's time could see them back among their parents, watching as Maleficent caused ruin with both the wand and the Dragon's Eye.

Mal hummed, standing up straight, and she began to pace, brow creased a fraction. "We need to plan this one," she murmured.

Biting her lip, Evie wondered if voicing her opinion would improve matters, or if it would worsen them. Taking a breath, and figuring she might be better tolerated since she brought news of the coronation, Evie decided to suggest her idea. "We could talk to Ben...?"

Mal stopped pacing, staring at her with a furrowed brow, and Jay snorted, arms crossed and expression wary.

"That's not a bad idea, actually," Carlos said, licking his lips when Mal's gaze turned on him. "He's offered to be helpful, and he _wants_ us to ask questions." He shrugged. "He never stops asking if Jay and me need anything at tourney."

"And given his proclamation..." Evie added, still unsure. She didn't like either of the looks Mal and Jay had on their faces.

"We are not asking Ben for his assistance," Mal said slowly. "How do you think that'll go over?"

"Yeah, the king of Auradon aiding and abetting four islanders to bring about the end of Good. Sounds awesome," Jay said flatly.

Carlos frowned at both of them. "Do any of you actually look at Ben when he's talking to us?"

"I try not to look at him at all," Mal muttered, not looking at them.

Huffing in annoyance, Carlos shook his head. "No, next time, pay attention to how he looks at us and how he looks at others."

"I _have_ been paying attention," Mal said, irritated. "You'd have to be brain dead not to see the way he looks at us. It's like we're the most fascinating thing in the room."

"I mean, let's face it, that's true," Evie said lightly, if only to ease the tension between Mal and Carlos. "Without us, Auradon Prep would be so boring."

Carlos, it seemed, wasn't playing along with her game. "If you've noticed it, then why not capitalize on it?" he asked Mal, brow creased with confusion. "He's our best bet at accomplishing our task, so why not use him?"

"You really think he'd go against his father, against the Fairy Godmother, for us?" Mal questioned, jaw flexed.

"He did once," Jay said, tone soft, a faraway look to his eyes. He blinked, focusing on them instead of whatever he saw in the distance. "He went behind his parents' back to bring us to Auradon."

"And he didn't know us like he does now," Carlos said.

That, apparently, was the wrong thing to say because Mal looked murderous for a few terrifying moments. She reared it back, though, smoothed her features into a dangerous blank. "And does he know you, Carlos?" she asked, tone just shy of biting. "Does he know who we really are?"

Swallowing, Carlos averted his eyes, even took a step back, trying to appear small, and Evie saw Jay swallow as well, saw him try to put on a brave front even as the blood left his face, and Evie herself felt sick.

She was okay, more or less, with _them_ knowing about her mother and that small windowless room, but the thought of _Ben_ knowing? It churned her stomach.

"There is no way Ben would ever help us," Mal said slowly, looking each of them in the eye, "not with this task, not of his own will."

"What if we take his will out of the equation?" Evie asked, wanting nothing more than to change the expressions on all three of their faces.

They blinked at her.

"What do you mean?" Jay asked, brow creasing.

"We could put him under a love spell," Evie suggested.

"A _love_ spell?" Mal asked, incredulous. "Where would we get a love spell?"

Of course Maleficent wouldn't have that type of thing in her spell book, Evie thought, wisely choosing not to bring that up. Instead, she walked to her dresser, opened the third drawer, moved a few items, and pulled out _her_ mother's spell book, holding it up for them to see.

They stepped closer to the table, waiting for her to open the book. "I already have the list of ingredients and the spell memorized," she said as she set the book down, as she felt a twinge of magic pass through her as she let the pages fall, knowing that the right one will show itself to the group.

"You've been planning on using it?" Carlos asked, skeptical.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. "No. I've just read this thing front and back so many times when I was on the island."

"Do I wanna know why this spell is in here?" Jay asked mildly, peering at the pages.

Evie shrugged. She didn't remember her mother ever mentioning _using_ this particular spell, but it had to be in the book for a reason.

"You do realize that in order for this to work, someone has to be the object of desire, right?" Mal asked them, scowling at the book. "And it sure as shit won't be me."

"Calling not-it as well," Jay said, and he actually shivered.

Carlos made a face. "I don't want to be it either."

They all turned to Evie, and she sighed. "I wouldn't mind, but there is one thing that could be potentially problematic."

"Audrey," Carlos guessed, a frown on his face.

Evie nodded. "It isn't exactly keeping a low profile if we steal the high king from his girlfriend."

"All the more reason not use this crap," Mal said, pushing away from the table.

"But," Carlos said, unsure as he glanced at Evie, "if it's a love spell, won't the affected person do whatever the object of desire says?"

"In theory," Evie said with a nod, glancing at Mal, noticing the way she frowned.

"Then we can just order him to break up with her quietly," Carlos said, shrugging.

"And you think Audrey's the type to let things go quietly?" Jay ask, skeptical.

"We're not doing it," Mal said with a huff, waving the subject away.

Gathering her courage, Evie braced herself for a verbal confrontation — Mal needed to know that the love spell was a better idea than any they'd come up with so far, and the coronation was only a little over a month away. "But Mal," she began, nerves almost fraying as Mal glanced at her with those glass green eyes of hers.

A knock at the door made them all freeze. Mal glanced at them, eyebrow raised as she moved to the door, bracing herself as she opened it.

Which revealed Ben on the other side, smiling wide as he took in all of them.

Oh, dear, Evie thought as she took in the subtle way Mal's shoulders tensed. Ben really needed to work on his timing.

"Hey, Mal, guys," Ben greeted, clearly a little nervous to be at their room. "I hadn't seen any of you today, so I just wanted to check if everything's okay."

Mal glanced at them again, and when she met Evie's eyes, Evie made a subtle gesture to ask about the coronation. Mal's lips pursed slightly, but she took a small breath before turning back to Ben.

Something's going on with her; I haven't seen her like this, Evie thought, taking in the way Ben's smile brightened when Mal faced him again.

"Well," Mal began, her hand still on the doorknob, "we _have_ heard some news that could use some clarification."

Ben nodded. "You mean the Halloween Ball?" he guessed, rubbing the back of his neck when he noticed Evie's raised eyebrow. "Yeah, Doug told me about that. Sorry, I haven't—"

"Wait," Mal said, holding her hand up, pausing briefly because Ben immediately stopped talking. "While, yeah, we'd like more info on _that_ , too, I was actually referring to your coronation."

Evie watched as Ben blinked at them, his smile fading slightly. There's that look again, she thought, wondering why he became like that whenever the coronation was mentioned.

"Oh, he said, blinking out of his little trance, his smile returning. "What would you like to know?"

Mal faltered, but only for a second. "You get to skip classes?" She sent a glare over her shoulder when Jay snickered.

Ben, though, merely chuckled. "No. The whole school gets to attend, actually, so you guys get a little day off." He cleared his throat gently, his cheeks tinting pink. "Though, I don't know how much fun you'll have getting all dressed up just to see me walk in the cathedral."

"That's beyond exciting," Mal murmured, and Ben gave a little laugh, relaxing a little. "But... since we can attend, do you think it'll be possible if the four of us could stand up front? You know, so we can witness that Goodness first hand?

Evie shared a glance with the boys, grinning. Perhaps the love spell wouldn't be needed. After all, Ben had promised them a favor.

Instead of showing them his brilliant smile, Ben became sheepish. "I wish I could arrange that for you," Ben began, apologetic, "but the only ones allowed, by tradition, up front are my parents and my betr— um, my girlfriend." It was small, but Ben had winced, his apologetic expression deepening.

"And your girlfriend," Mal repeated, and Evie saw her hand grip the doorknob tighter, and she knew what thought was running through Mal's mind: the love spell was looking more and more like the only viable option.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Ben said, swallowing slightly. And what an odd action, especially since his eyes hadn't left Mal's.

"Well," Mal said, drawing out the word a bit too much, "okay then, bye." And with that, Mal began to close the door. In Ben's face.

" _Mal_!" Evie whispered as Ben said, "Oh, wait, didn't you want to know about the Halloween Ball?"

Pausing just as the door remained half shut, Mal sent a glare at Evie as she breathed out heavily through her nose, jaw flexing slightly, and she reopened the door. "Talk to them," she said as she walked away, walked to her bed and plopped down, ignoring both of Carlos' and Jay's raised eyebrows in favor of picking up her sketchbook.

What's going _on_ , Evie thought as she stepped forward, gesturing Ben into the room, watching as he stepped inside, albeit a little hesitantly. "Sorry," she whispered, hoping Mal hadn't offended him too badly, and was relieved when Ben smiled at her.

"It's no trouble," he assured, smiling at each of them. He gently clapped his hands. "So, what would you like to know about the Halloween Ball?"

"Is it really a dress up dance?" Carlos asked, a wrinkle to his nose.

Ben laughed. "Yes, most of the attendees wear gowns and suits, but there are a lot who just wear costumes." He grinned at Evie. "I hear you have some ideas."

Evie shared his grin. "I do," she said, affirming the information she guessed he learned from Doug, "but it's a surprise."

Amused, Ben nodded. "I look forward to it." Grin still in place, he bowed his head a little to her.

Evie felt her stomach flutter.

"So," Jay began, face neutral, "people wear gowns and crap all day long? While they, what was it called, trick or treat?"

Turning to Jay, Ben shook his head. "No. The actual ball begins at nine at night and lasts until one in the morning, so there are usually separate outfits for the Halloween festivities. It's a more laid back affair than the ball, so you really don't need to wear anything fancy or particular to go to the booths that will be set up across the campus."

"Jane had said something earlier," Mal said, surprising them. "Something that piqued my interest." Mal's face was expressionless, but her eyes...

Evie shivered. This doesn't bode well, she thought, glancing at the boys, sharing their worried expressions.

"Yes?" Ben prompted, standing a little straighter, signaling to Evie that he was more perceptive than she had given him credit.

"Jane said that people used to dress as those they feared," Mal continued, and the words made Evie's stomach churn. "What are the chances we'll see islanders on Halloween?"

And Evie _felt_ Jay and Carlos stiffen, knew they heard the question in Mal's words: would they see their parents?

Ben frowned immediately and shook his head. "No, there shouldn't be anyone dressed as people on the island," he said emphatically, his disapproval clear on his face. "People normally never dress up in that way."

"Normally," Jay said, voice quiet, face on the pale side.

"There shouldn't be anything like that," Ben said again, more adamant this time. "If it'll ease your minds, I can accompany you for the day?"

"Sure," Carlos said, not even blinking at the way Mal and Jay stared at him. "You could give us a tour and stuff." Though his voice was steady, his left eyebrow twitched, and Evie knew he was nervous.

But she also knew he wouldn't have accepted Ben's offer if he didn't have a plan.

"Of course, if that's okay with everyone else," Ben said, looking at them all.

"Of course it is," Evie said sweetly, looking at Jay and Mal, hoping they wouldn't throw a wrench in whatever Carlos was planning.

Jay didn't say anything, just grinned at Ben in that way of his, but his fingers twitched, and Mal reluctantly nodded, doing a much better job at hiding her tells than the boys.

Ben smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes as much as usual. Still, he bowed slightly. "Then I'll see you Tuesday afternoon, if not before then."

Curtsying, Evie smiled for him, still charmed by his manners and sincerity. "We look forward to it," she said, playfully echoing his earlier statement.

Of course, she really did look forward to spending time with Ben, but that was beside the point.

Chuckling a little, Ben nodded and walked to the door, turning to them as he placed his hand on the doorknob. "Have a good night," he said, and then he closed the door, leaving them in silence.

"Carlos," Mal began after a few tense moments, nearly springing off of her bed.

"Wait, Mal, wait," Carlos said, holding up his hands, taking a few steps back. "You heard him, only his folks and girlfriend would be close enough to the wand! The love spell is our best option."

"But a tour with him?" Jay said, practically groaning. "We'd be spending the whole fucking day with him."

"Exactly," Carlos said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not following," Mal said, clearly annoyed.

"We'll all be with him," Carlos said slowly. "We'll see for ourselves who he's more interested in, and _that_ person will be the object of desire."

Jay did groan then. "This is fucking stupid."

"You got a better idea, Jay?" Evie asked, unimpressed with his whining. "Because unless you do, I don't really see another choice."

"Mal," Jay said, turning to her, almost pleading.

Mal pressed her lips into a thin line, her hands clenched into fists at her side. After what seemed like forever, she settled her gaze on Jay. "We can't get the wand when it's in that force field, and I don't see us getting the wand during the coronation unless one of us is near it. Not," she said a little louder when Jay opened his mouth, "unless _we_ use our magic." She held his gaze. "All three of us."

Shrinking back, Jay looked away, folding his arms with a frown. "Fine," he muttered, "we'll use the stupid love spell."

"Trust me, I'm not thrilled either." Mal definitely didn't look thrilled. She looked close to livid.

Evie didn't like that expression on her face. "So," she began, clearing her throat, hoping she could relieve the tension in the room, "does this mean I can't discuss my outfit ideas with Carlos?"

Her question worked: Mal snorted. "Go ahead. Just try not to go overboard."

"Especially since you don't have the material yet," Jay added, returning to his spot on the floor.

Carlos hummed, reaching into his bag. "Speaking of..." he mumbled, pulling out a piece of paper. "Here's a list of people who'd like to pay for a hair spell," he said as he gingerly handed it to Mal.

"I'd say Lonnie's way of spreading news works wonders," Evie commented, peeking at the list. There were two columns on the front.

"If it gets you your materials, fine, whatever." Mal gave the list back to Carlos. "Contact them, get them here. And Carlos," she added when he froze, her features grudgingly softening, "I didn't mean to jump down your throat."

Visibly relaxing, Carlos nodded. "I shouldn't have enacted a plan without discussion." He shrugged. "I sorta just made it up as I went."

"Well, still..." Mal shrugged, and she went back to her books, clearly intent to ignore anything about Halloween until it actually arrived.

It almost made Evie frown, but she had a lot of work to do in order to make the experience as painless as possible. She turned to Carlos, bringing up a smile. "I believe we have a thunderstorm to conduct."

Shrugging, Carlos moved his laptop to the table, getting situated as Evie opened her notebook to a clean sheet, ready to create her ideas on paper.

"Does this mean I have to do my own homework?" Jay asked, bored, as he plopped back on the floor.

"You can come be my model," Evie suggested, smiling innocently.

He made a face. "Looks like I'm doing my own homework," he said, promptly opening a book.

Sharing an amused grin with Carlos, Evie began sketching out her ideas as Carlos began contacting the girls on the list, half listening to her mutterings.

She wanted the Halloween Ball to be an event they'd always remember.

———

Carlos didn't know why, but he felt uneasy.

They were in Mal and Evie's room, waiting for Ben to escort them to the Halloween festivities. Though Mal was nowhere to be seen, Evie kept fretting, going from looking herself over in the floor length mirror to going over to where she had hanged their ball outfits, chewing her bottom lip as if she hadn't gone all out in her creations.

She was moving around so much that she began to damage Carlos' calm.

"I'm nervous," Evie said, yet again, as she looked over their ball outfits for the hundredth time.

"I don't see why," Carlos said, wondering why Evie was working herself up so much.

Evie had been working almost non-stop to make their ball attire, had been discussing ideas and materials not only with him, but with Jane and Lonnie, too. The girl's dorm room had practically turned into a business as well, what with Mal earning coin delivering brand new hairstyles to several girls within the student body; it sometimes got so busy that Carlos had to huddle on Mal's bed with Jay just to make room.

He was still surprised Mal didn't blow something up the past week.

Then again, he supposed it had to do with the fact that Evie was genuinely excited for the ball and, though she'd never admit it so openly in front of Mal or Jay, spending the day with Ben.

"It's an excited nervous, Carlos," Evie sighed out, sitting next to him, linking their arms. "After all, it's our first proper Halloween, and we'll be accompanied by Ben, the High King himself." She leaned into him, her Dreamy Gaze firmly in place despite her nervous grip on his hand.

Holding in a snort, Carlos didn't say anything to that because he still didn't see why she was so nervous. She was the one who suggested the love spell, and if he's honest, she's also the one most likely to enact it. She definitely had nothing to worry about.

"That's supposed to make it exciting?" Jay asked from his spot on the floor. He'd been laying down, staring at the ceiling with a blank face, for the past thirty minutes.

Carlos kept his expression neutral as he glanced at Evie as she frowned at Jay. He knew that, sometimes, late at night, Jay would wake from a dream and just lie on the floor because that's what he was used to all his life. Carlos had noticed that Jay would lay on the floor whenever he was particularly stressed.

And seeing how they would be spending the day with Ben, Carlos figured Jay was undergoing a lot of stress, and he felt bad for arranging it, especially since Jay had been having... issues with Ben. Though, to be fair, Jay had been behaving better around him, so Carlos wasn't too worried.

The one he _was_ worried about was Mal. Where she'd once been indifferent to mildly pleasant around Ben, Carlos noticed Mal changed, noticed her be more on guard, noticed the wariness, and sometimes anger, in her features. In fact, Carlos would go as far as to say that, when it came to Ben, Jay's and Mal's behavior had switched.

A knock sounded, and Jay sat up, blinking at the door before blinking at them.

With a small squeak, Evie stood up, practically bouncing to the door, composing herself before opening it. "Oh!" she said, opening the door wider and gesturing Jane into the room. "Don't you look cute." Evie smiled as she circled around Jane, taking in the light blue hooded robe she wore, accented with a giant magenta bow at the neck.

Jane's cheeks turned red. "It was mom's idea..." she mumbled, embarrassed. "You'll find a lot of kids wear outfits in tribute to their parents during the festivities."

"Joy," Jay muttered, lying back down, resuming his staring contest with the ceiling.

We'd technically fit right in then, Carlos thought as he glanced at Jay, at Evie. They all each still wore outfits that Evie had made, and those outfits still beared the insignias she'd modeled off of their parents.

"What brings you here?" Carlos asked, taking pity on Jane, allowing her a distraction from Evie's inspection; he knew how she felt, somewhat, because when Evie's mind shifted to clothes, there was no telling when you'd get a breather.

"Oh, I just came to get my dress," Jane said, cheeks still a little pink, and she averted Carlos' eyes, probably embarrassed that Evie had insisted he be present when they'd discussed Jane's gown. "You know, so I don't disrupt your ball prep later."

Evie clapped her hands in excitement. "I'm so glad you're going!" she said as she brought Jane to the makeshift rack where she had hung the plastic bag containing Jane's gown. "You're going to look gorgeous in this." Evie winked as she handed the bag over to Jane.

Jane didn't look like she believed Evie, but she took the bag with a small smile. "Thanks," she said, her hand running over the plastic, trying to peek inside. "Are you sure I can't pay you?"

Evie waved the matter away. "You've done enough." She leaned in, grinning, at Jane's confusion. "You and Lonnie were walking advertisements for Mal's hair spell."

"And that brought in the gold," Jay said from the floor, and Carlos tried not to wince at his tone, too upbeat for the blankness of his expression.

"Exactly!" Evie said brightly, distracting Jane from Jay's demeanor. "Oh, and if you want your hair done up or whatever, come by later! I'm sure Mal wouldn't mind performing another spell, and if she does, I can style it."

Jane nodded, her eyes surveying the room. "Um, where is Mal?" she asked quietly.

"Hiding in the bathroom," Jay said, and he at least sounded genuinely amused.

At Jane's confusion, Carlos elaborated. "Mal doesn't like parties. Or anything similar to parties. Or anything Auradon would probably call fun."

Jane blinked. "What's her definition of fun, then?"

Before any of them could answer, the bathroom door swung open, startling the room at large. Mal stepped out into the room, her eyes on Jane, her expression neutral.

This might get ugly, Carlos thought as he watched Mal practically advance on Jane, as he watched Jane take a cautious step back.

"Jane," Mal began, tone nowhere near as intense as her gait, "what are your thoughts on Ben?"

The question threw Jane off — as it did Carlos, as it did Evie — and she swallowed, brow furrowing in thought. "You mean in general? Or as heir apparent?"

"Either," Mal said, still calm, still unchanging.

"I'm glad he was chosen to ascend the throne," Jane said, speaking easily now that she knew she wasn't in trouble. "I mean, I'm sure there were candidates who had a stronger or fiercer presence, but I really believe he has everyone's best interest at heart."

"That's something that can't be done," Mal said, eyes narrowing minutely. "You can't please everyone."

Jane swallowed. "He knows that," she said quietly. "The examination the council summit conducted was purposefully designed to be difficult, almost impossible for inexperienced rulers, and the way he held himself together throughout the whole ordeal was nothing short of exemplary."

"You were there?" Carlos couldn't help but ask. The whole thing fascinated him; anything to do with the processes involving Auradon's newly formed ruling system had been glossed over in all the history texts he'd read.

Shaking her head, Jane took a small breath. "I overheard my mom talking to Queen Belle after the announcement was made."

Mal made a face, tension deflating as she crossed her arms. "It doesn't make sense," she murmured, and Carlos got the feeling that she was talking to herself more than she was to Jane.

At least we can agree on that, he thought, studying Mal. He'd gotten pretty good at being able to read her, but the past few weeks had been difficult.

Jane chuckled. "Ben doesn't make sense," she agreed, smiling fondly. "He's kind to everyone, not just to those of his station. He's always been like that."

Pursing her lips, Mal took a step back, leaning against the table. "Every person has a flaw, has a vice," she said slowly. "There's no exception."

Jane pondered that, squeezing the plastic bag closer to her. She cleared her throat. "Does it have to be within a person to count?" she asked, pensive.

Eyebrow raised, Mal regarded her coolly. "What do you mean?"

Squeezing the bag tighter, Jane took a breath. "Well... h-his father could count...?"

The hairs on the back of Carlos' neck stood on end, and he glanced at Jay, his stomach dropping as he watched Jay sit up slowly, as he saw Jay's face pale slightly.

Mal didn't say anything for a moment, her eyes clouded as her hands gripped her arms. When she finally spoke, her voice was low, daunting. "What do you mean?"

Frozen, Jane blinked at Mal, blinked at Evie and Carlos, and she opened her mouth but no words came out; she trembled slightly.

Someone knocked on the door, startling Jane, and Evie composed herself before answering it.

Don't let it be... Carlos thought, holding his breath as Evie slowly opened the door. He sighed, though, when Ben's smile greeted them.

"Hey, guys," he greeted, smiling warmly, feet firmly planted.

You have the worst timing, Carlos thought, glancing at Mal and Jane.

Jane made a small squeak, bowing a little before she hurried out of the room, leaving Ben blinking after her.

"Have I come at a bad time?" he asked, brow creased a little.

"Not at all," Evie said, inviting him into the room. "She's just so excited for the ball tonight; she couldn't wait to pick up her gown."

Ben's smile widened; he practically beamed at Evie. "I'm glad you helped her out. And I look forward to seeing her wearing your dress."

Evie blushed, giving Ben a small curtsy, and they both chuckled.

Carlos glanced at Mal, noticed her neutral expression. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but he could guess. With any luck, Evie would be the one chosen as the object of desire.

"What are you wearing?" Jay asked as he stood up, not bothering to dust himself off, his hands in his pockets.

And Carlos blinked. He hadn't noticed Ben's outfit — he'd been too distracted by Ben's smile — but it seemed like Ben was a reject from Harriet Hook's gang, and a reject for good reason.

The poet blouse he wore was too white, too neat in same vein his petticoat breeches were too tailored, the deep crimson color vivid instead of faded. He wore no eyepatch or bandana, and his face, as always, was much too clean.

Harriet would have shanked him at first sight.

Looking down at himself, Ben merely shrugged, sheepish as he chuckled. "My mom's idea."

"If all pirates looked like you, I'd stand their company a lot better," Evie said with a smile and a wink.

"Madam," Ben said with a ridiculous bow as he took her hand, "if all ladies shared your charm, I would gladly give up my life of piracy." He kissed the back of her hand. "For what treasure could compare to the radiance of your smile?" With a grin on his lips, Ben glanced up at her, still bowed, her hand still in his.

Evie laughed, delighted, her free hand on her chest as she blushed, and Carlos caught both Mal and Jay smirking at the sight, and he even felt the beginnings of a smile on his own lips. Maybe a day with Ben wouldn't be so bad.

"Now," Ben said as he righted himself, smiling at them all, "shall we go forth and explore?" He grinned, offering his arm to Evie.

Taking his arm gladly, Evie smiled. "Of course, good sir," she said sweetly, leaning into Ben's side a little. "Ready?" she asked the rest of them, breathing out a dreamy sigh when Ben did nothing to correct her closeness.

Carlos glanced at Mal and Jay, catching Mal's raised eyebrow at being offered Ben's other arm.

"I'm ready, but I'm not doing the madam thing," she said, dismissing the notion, but she at least seemed amused.

"And I don't know if I can handle you talking like that," Jay said, a smirk on his lips. His hands, though, were still in his pockets, and that almost made Carlos frown.

Ben laughed. "Fair enough," he said as he lowered his arm, instead placing his hand over Evie's. "My lady," he said to her, smile widening when she beamed up at him.

Mal rolled her eyes, but she followed the two out of the room without complaint, letting Ben lead Evie to wherever they were heading.

Carlos followed, too, but at a slower pace, slow enough to keep time with Jay, whose smirk had faded as he stared ahead. Carlos didn't like that faraway look in his eyes. "Jay?"

Blinking, Jay glanced at him. He took a deep breath. "Allah, I hope it's Evie..." he mumbled, hunching a little.

Mood sobering, Carlos could only nod. Evie would be the most natural in the role, even if Jay could play any role with ease; for whatever reason, when it came to Ben, Jay was compromised. Carlos wanted no part in being stuck by Ben's side, certainly didn't want to be center of attention, just like he knew Mal didn't want that either.

Which meant their plan rested on Evie's shoulders, rested on her ability to charm and seduce. She needed to get into Ben's head, needed to make him think about her, and hopefully, that little stunt just now in the girl's room bid well for them.

Because now, on this their first Halloween, their task had officially begun.

—

"Why was this day kept secret from us," Carlos said quietly to himself as he took a bite out of the candy apple Ben had gotten him. He never tasted anything like it, and he'd already had several treats of various flavors he'd never knew existed.

"And they call _us_ villainous," Jay said in agreement, taking a bite out of his own apple — his covered in something called caramel.

Ben chuckled. "They have a sweet tooth, I think," he said to Evie as he offered her some sort of pastry shaped like a pumpkin.

"Spending time around you, one has to develop a sweet tooth," she replied, giving him a wink as she happily took what was offered.

Ben just grinned.

"Or a cavity," Mal murmured, tossing some type of hard candy into her mouth.

Hiding his smirk behind his apple — Ben's smile hadn't faded at Mal's remark — Carlos watched as Ben led Evie to another of the many booths littering the tourney field, this one filled with what looked like bags of pastel colored fuzz balls, watched as Jay and Mal trailed after them, and Carlos trailed behind, studying.

So far, Ben had kept his arm linked with Evie's, his other hand resting on hers every now and then, and not once did Ben seem stiff or uncomfortable as he showed them around or procured certain items for them; his movements were natural and fluid, as was his smile and laughter whenever Evie said something particularly charming.

"Does the beast want one," Jay practically sing-songed, grinning at Carlos.

Carlos made a face, and he glanced down at Dude, at the way the little beast stood next to him, wagging his tail and eyes on the apple in Carlos' hands. The dog was wearing a little grey hoodie that matched the one Carlos wore.

("Evie, really?" Carlos asked when he noticed the size of the creation in her hands.

" _Yes_ really," she said as she held the little outfit up, proud. "That poor creature follows you around all pathetic-like. Why not reward him for not being as vicious as you expected?"

Carlos didn't say anything, letting Evie do what she wished, even if all he could think about was, Give it time; he'll bare his fangs soon enough.

Things always did, eventually.)

Maybe I should give him some; he hasn't left our side since we got to the field, he thought as he bit off a piece of apple to give to Dude.

"Ah," Ben said before Carlos could actually give the bite to the dog, "better not give him any. I'm afraid a dog requires a particular diet that doesn't include candy apples." Ben sounded apologetic. "I could give you some snacks he can eat, though. That way you can feed him whenever you'd like."

Shrugging, Carlos popped the apple bite back into his mouth, trying not to read too much into Ben's smile.

This love spell thing had him on edge; he didn't want Ben to give him too much attention, or else Mal might make him play the object of desire.

And Carlos wanted no part in that.

With a smile, Ben continued showing them around the booths, buying certain treats for them even when they didn't voice their interest — even if they _did_ have interest.

(They learned their lesson at the first booth they visited, as when Jay jokingly said he wanted five of the tiny round pastries, Ben didn't hesitate to buy them for him; Jay had accepted — he couldn't really refuse, considering their plan — but had been slightly pale as he did so, and Carlos could guess the reason: a move like that painted him as a viable choice for the role of object of desire.)

Case in point, when Evie and Jay eyed the bags of pastel colored fuzz balls a little longer than necessary, Ben bought them each a bag, smiling all the while.

Carlos' gaze always traveled to Mal whenever Ben bought them anything. She'd been strangely civil during the festivities, nowhere near as wary or angry toward Ben she had been in the days leading up to Halloween, but whenever she watched him gift them with something from the booths, a pinch to the bridge of her nose appeared, as brief as it was.

It was so quick that Carlos couldn't properly read it, and he wondered what was going through her head, especially since she'd been so against the love spell.

And I still don't know why she was, he thought, frowning slightly.

"Bennyboo!" Audrey called from two booths down the row, waving Ben over with that forced smile of hers, wearing some sort of blue dress and cloak, a pointed blue hat atop her head, translucent wings on her back.

"Be right there," Ben called back before turning to them. "I'll be right back. In the meantime, why don't you check out Doug's booth?" He pointed to the booth to their left, away from Audrey. "His kin does more than mine jewels." With that, he smiled, inclining his head a little as he walked toward Audrey.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to see her today," Evie said with a sigh. "It's nice having Ben's arm."

"Well, I'd rather visit the Dwarf kin than watch her fail at fakeness," Mal said, making her way to Doug's booth.

"Ditto," Jay sighed out, offering his arm to Evie, smiling when she took it.

Carlos stayed put, semi-glad the others left; he couldn't be invisible with them around, and he wanted to study Ben and Audrey's interaction, wanted to compare.

He couldn't tell what they were saying, but Audrey's expression wasn't exactly pleasant, and she gestured a little at Mal and the others. While natural enough, Ben was stiffer with Audrey than he had been with them, and the stiffness only worsened when Chad joined their conversation.

Though, to be fair, it looked like Audrey was annoyed by his presence as well.

At least she has some sense, he thought, frowning as Chad's expression became worse than Audrey's, and Carlos thought he saw Chad's mouth distinctly form the words _trouble_ and _rabble_.

The more I look at you, the more I hate that Evie chose you, he thought, feeling disgusted himself. He could understand Evie's need to please her mother's demands — the scars beside, Carlos knew all about being constantly under pressure — but he'd never understand why Evie chose Chad.

She could just take Ben, he thought, hoping that Mal would okay Evie as the object of desire. It made logical sense for Evie to be the one. He just didn't understand Mal sometimes.

Noises of disgust and outrage got his attention, and Carlos watched Audrey cross her arms, frowning at Ben, as Chad had a look of utter betrayal on his face. Audrey turned on her heel, and Chad said something to Ben that Carlos couldn't make out, his face twisted in disapproval before following Audrey.

Carlos watched as Audrey and Chad left, disgust plainly on their faces as they glanced back at Mal and the others, and he frowned. He never paid any mind to Audrey, never interacted with her enough to care, but Chad... Carlos never really liked Chad during tourney, but the look he gave them, gave _Evie_ , the one he was supposedly giving his time to, made him sick.

"I'm glad you're getting along," Ben said to him as he neared, bringing Carlos out of his musings. He was clearly disappointed with his conversation with the royal snoots, but he was pushing through it.

"Wait, what," Carlos said flatly when Ben's words registered, blinking in the direction Audrey and Chad had left. Ben couldn't be that obtuse.

Eyebrow raised, Ben nodded to Dude, sitting at Carlos' feet, looking ridiculous in his little hoodie.

Feeling his cheeks warm, for _no_ reason, Carlos cleared his throat. "Evie thought he'd look cute in matching outfits," he said, fidgeting under Ben's gaze. "I'm surprised he kept it on..."

Ben chuckled, nodding a little. "I told you he was really docile. Plus, he really seems to like you. He used to follow me around all the time. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous."

Blinking, Carlos gave Ben a once over. "You? Jealous?"

Amused, Ben nodded. "I'm definitely capable of getting jealous. I'm human, after all."

"Yeah, I guess," Carlos said mildly, even if he didn't quite believe that, "but what do you have to be jealous of?"

Ben's gaze traveled to Mal and the others, watching as they inspected knickknacks from Doug's booth, Lonnie and Jane — Carlos had no idea when they joined the group — pointing out certain ones and laughing with delight at the bewildered looks on the islanders' faces, and he smiled. "True companions," was all he said.

Carlos' eyes never left Ben. "Companions?" he asked, his throat tightening for some reason.

"Well, I've already learned that the word friend isn't well received with Mal, so I wasn't sure about the rest of you," Ben said lightly.

"And you think we're true companions?" Carlos asked, keeping his features blank, even if his stomach turned to knots, even as his mind raced. Had Mal had a one-on-one conversation with Ben without telling them? Is that why her behavior had changed?

Carlos hated having incomplete data.

Smile softening, Ben returned his attention to the group. "Yeah, I do." He chuckled a little, more to himself than anything. "I mean, just look at them." He gestured to them, but Carlos' eyes stayed trained on Ben. "They look comfortable with Lonnie, Jane, and Doug, but they don't look _relaxed_ , you know? They're not as at ease as they are with just each other, as they are with you."

"That could just be due to being around different people," Carlos said, studying Ben, trying to understand him, "and not looking comfortable with others could be said about _you_."

As Mal said, you'd have to be blind not to notice Ben, not to notice the way he was a step out of sync with everyone around him, and the conversation Carlos just witnessed proved that more than ever.

Something told Carlos it had more to do with being selected as heir apparent.

(Carlos didn't really care one way or the other why Ben seemed different than the rest; in fact, the only thing that interested him about that fact was that it made the possibility of the love spell working without a hitch greater.)

Ben looked at him with surprise. But then he smiled. "Well, I was always told I was a bit of an oddball. You know, you're pretty sharp..." Though the words were assessing, his expression was kind. "I hope I live up to your expectations," he said gently.

Throat closing, Carlos could only stare at Ben, and for one horrible moment, he couldn't breathe. Because when he looked at Ben now, Carlos saw that brilliant clarity of Evie's eyes, that unrestrained delight of Jay's genuine smiles, that calming protectiveness of Mal's bearing.

What the fuck, he thought, eyes locked on Ben.

"Carlos?" Ben prompted, eyes searching his face, concern creeping into his features.

Blinking out of his — idiotic and completely unnecessary — trance, Carlos cleared his throat. "No you don't," he said quietly, his brow creased as he tried to process what the hell just happened.

Ben's head tilted in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"You don't want to live up to my expectations," Carlos clarified. He never expected anything from anyone, and when he did, he expected the worst. He'd been proven correct more times than he could count, all except when it came to those who claimed him. Swallowing, he continued, unsure why he _wanted_ Ben to know, to understand, "You should want to fail to meet them."

Ben remained silent for a few moments, long enough to make Carlos want to squirm under his gaze, but then he smiled, soft and _understanding_. "Then, for the first time in my life, I shall strive to fail at something," he said, placing his hand on Carlos' shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

What gives you the right, Carlos thought, throat dry once more, and all he could do was nod, an uneasy feeling in his gut.

Maybe he could understand why Jay and Mal had issues with Ben.

"C'mon," Ben said, patting Carlos' shoulder and thus bringing him back to the there and now, "you guys have to try Jane's pumpkin pie before you leave to get ready for the ball." With that, Ben walked over to Doug's booth, laughing as Doug presented him with several of the wares.

Carlos stayed where he stood, that uneasy feeling swirling in his gut — but that wasn't the most unnerving aspect of it. No, what unnerved him more than the feeling being present was the fact that it was a _different_ type of unease.

Beside him, Dude huffed a little, watching the commotion at Doug's booth with interest.

Who'd've thought there'd be a day where I preferred to stay by a dog's side than go near Mal or Evie or Jay, he thought, swallowing, trying to push away that uneasy feeling, push away useless thoughts.

When Mal glanced at him, eyebrow raised, Carlos closed the distance between them, rejoined the gang, let Evie and Jay pull him close and fill his hands with trinkets.

No need to let them know of the foolishness forming in his head.

———

"Are you sure they're not gonna flip their shit," Jay asked as he looked himself over in Mal's mirror. He wasn't sure what balls usually consisted of, but he was pretty sure it wasn't this.

Evie had dressed him in harem pants that hung a little low on his hips, designs in gold, silver, and garnet littering the gray fabric , glittering in the light any time he moved. The pants he could deal with, but Evie had also deemed it unnecessary for him to wear a shirt, instead adorning his neck with gold — a collar necklace, she called it, and he could see why, as it covered his collarbone, the gold plates and chains forming an inverted triangle, the point resting just above his chest.

And that was it.

Jay was all for doing the bare minimum to get by, but he never thought he'd be wearing a getup like this; maybe he shouldn't have given Evie such free rein.

He couldn't stop staring at himself, at the gold on his neck, so different from his usual bronze chain.

"What's the matter, Jay?" Mal asked as she appeared behind him, her reflection smirking at him. "Afraid someone will get too close?" Her smirk deepening, her hands reached up to his chest, her gloved palms gently pressing against his nipples.

Jay gave a soft groan. "Always knew you played dirty," he said as he licked his lips, trying his hardest not to lean into her, into her touch.

Chuckling, Mal released him, stepping away. "Stop fretting. You look more than good. And think of it this way," she said as gave him a once over, smirking, "if you behave, I'll make it worth your while afterward."

Shivering at her praise, at her promise, Jay sent a mock glare her way, turning to face her fully. "Setting impossible tasks, Mal? Especially when you look like that?"

Mal's smirk deepened and she stood her full height, one hand on her hip, and she looked... indomitable.

The jacket she wore was deep maroon, lapels wide and uneven, and it clipped low on her navel, exposing her white blouse, open enough so a dragon pendant made of silver resting on her neck could be visible. The jacket's coattails were torn but long, almost as if they were a tattered cape, her gray tights slipping beneath her black knee high boots.

Evie's creation suited her well, made her commanding and yet alluring, and the way her hair was done up, pulled back into a bun due to the jacket's high collar, except for two thick locks framing her face, one partially covering her right eye, gave her an added layer of mystique.

She looked more devious, more in control, which Jay didn't think was possible.

"Wait, come here," Evie said, rushing over from her vanity, leaving Carlos where he sat, to run her hands through Jay's hair.

He didn't know what she expected to accomplish; whatever she had in one of those bottles on her vanity already made it wavier and wilder than it normally would be. Untamed, she'd called it, and it'd apparently fit the vision she had for his getup.

"Are you sure you don't want me to put lipstick on you?" she asked once she deemed his hair perfect, a slight pout on her lips. She clipped a gold bangle around his upper left arm. "Not that you really need it, of course. You're already gorgeous."

Jay snorted, fighting down the rush of heat to his cheeks at Evie's blatant adoration; he already allowed her to put some sort of black stuff on his eyes, but he politely turned down the lipstick. "Wouldn't want to steal your thunder," he teased, admiring her work, liking that blood red on her lips; she usually stuck with light colors. "Besides, what good would it do when it'll come off when I kiss you." He grinned. 

"This lipstick doesn't smudge," Evie said, voice low and flirty. "Watch," and with that, she leaned in to give his nipple a kiss before taking it into her mouth, giving it a gentle suck before she moved away.

"Sadists, both of you," Jay groaned, already weak kneed. How he let her discover that particular weak spot, he'd never know.

Evie chuckled. "You make it so easy, my prince of thieves," she said, patting his cheek.

Jay raised an eyebrow. "And you make it so hard." He looked pointedly at her outfit.

Smiling wickedly, Evie merely stood proud, her breasts prominently featured and on display thanks to the black corset she wore, accented by the necklace adorning her neck, its lowest pendant resting in the cushion of her breasts. Her hands, sheathed in long, black gloves, rested on her hips, bringing attention to that tight and short skirt she wore, black as the rest of her outfit. She also had a longer skirt, made of something she called sheer, and it rested in layers over her tight one, becoming more flowing as it reached the floor.

She was nothing short of a vision in that getup, more stunning than Jay ever could be, and if Chad didn't fall to his knees and worship her, then he was more fucked in the head than Jay was.

"Can I move yet?" Carlos practically whined, causing Jay and Mal to grin.

Carlos was the one to usually protest Evie's _girl's nights_ , even if he eventually relented.

"I'm almost done," Evie tsked as she returned to the vanity, picking up something that looked like a pencil. "Really, Carlos, you have to let me do your face more often. You look superb." She smiled as she tilted his head back, concentrating as she brought the pencil-thing to his eye.

Oh, she's doing what she did to my eyes, Jay thought as he glanced at himself in the mirror again. He looked weird, but then again, it could just be he was unused to seeing himself all dolled up. And without a shirt.

Though, it wasn't an _unpleasant_ weird, his heart racing a little the longer he stared at himself, his eyes drifting down to his hand, to his pinky finger that wore his mother's ring, only once.

"There," Evie said proudly as she placed her makeup away. She gestured for Carlos to turn around and stand up, glancing at them with a grin. "So, what do you think?"

Carlos sighed but did as told, a slight frown to his lips as he faced them, his hands twitching as if he wanted to put them in his pockets. His shirt was also sheer, as Evie called it, black and form fitting, collar neat and folded, its long sleeves meeting his white gloves; the gray shorts he wore were also form fitting. Simple yet enticing.

If anyone had any doubts about Carlos' build, this outfit would set them straight.

"I thought we wanted people to think he was weak," Jay commented lightly, not that he was complaining; he enjoyed the view.

Grinning, as if she knew his thoughts, Evie waved the matter away. "You just don't want anyone else laying their eyes on him."

"Ha ha, people," Carlos said, eyebrow raised. "I'm gonna be cold in this."

"You?" Jay countered, amused, not missing Carlos' light blush. "At least you're wearing shoes." Just for emphasis, he raised his foot, wiggling his bare toes at Carlos.

Carlos snorted.

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot," Mal said as she moved in front of Jay, kneeling.

Alarmed, Jay gawked at her. "What—"

"Shh," she murmured, voice soothing, and she rubbed her hands together, whispering something into her skin before placing them on Jay's feet.

For a moment, her touch was too warm, and Jay felt the pinprick of magic swirling around him before it settled, and his feet felt more comfortable than they've ever been.

"Since Evie insists on you going barefoot in order to make your outfit work..." Mal let her voice trail as she glanced at Evie, rolling her eyes when Evie only smiled. She still hadn't gotten up off the floor, her hands idly tracing designs into Jay's skin.

Swallowing, Jay tried to sound calm, nonchalant. "What about my chest," he said, proud of himself at how _not_ choked up he sounded.

Mal let a smirk appear on her lips, standing. "I believe you said I was a sadist, correct?" She placed her hand on his shoulder, let it trail south, caressing.

Jay shivered, but he couldn't stop the grin from forming on his lips. "You are," he teased and was pleased when his words earned him a kiss, however brief it was.

Maybe the night wouldn't be so bad.

A knock at the door had Evie practically giggling as she rushed to answer.

Jay found himself breathing in relief when Jane walked into the room. He had to hand it to Evie; she knew how to make an outfit.

Jane wore a floor length silver gown, the skirt so wide and puffy, almost cloud like, that it made her waist look abnormally small. While nowhere near as prominent as Evie's corset, Jane's bodice did accent her bust, but the gown's sleeves were puffy as well, distracting the attention from the fact that they slipped off her shoulder.

Though she didn't look quite as mature as an adult, she definitely didn't look like the insecure fourteen year old Jay had seen sit with them at lunch sometimes, who Jay had seen looking at Mal with awe. Really, it was like a different person was standing there before them.

"You look gorgeous!" Evie cooed as she took Jane's hand, turning her to show off how the dress moved; it shimmered, the light bouncing off of it showing that the gown had gold accents here and there. "Mal," she said, smiling as she brought Jane closer, "what do you think?"

Jay watched as Mal took in Jane's appearance, and he watched as Jane blushed, that confidence slipping away into the meek girl he was more familiar with. He could empathize; sometimes, the weight of Mal's gaze was a little too great to bear.

Mal, though, smirked, nodding in approval. "Evie certainly knows how to bring out the inner you." She raised her eyebrow, her smirk deepening as Jane's blush darkened even as she stood straighter, proud.

"Thank you," Jane said, heartfelt, and she took in Mal's outfit, took in each of their outfits, becoming increasingly flustered as she did. "Um, wow. You guys look..."

"Alluring?" Evie suggested, a wicked grin on her features as she sauntered over to Jay, linking their arms.

Jane chuckled, clearing her throat a little. "Yeah, to say the least..." Her blush was still in place.

"The very least," Carlos said, amused.

Jay smirked, amused himself by the way Jane was trying not to stare at any of them for too long. "What's the matter? Haven't seen this much skin before?" he asked as he pulled Evie closer to him, perhaps more suggestively than he needed. He didn't need her to answer, though; he'd noticed how conservative Auradonians were with their clothes.

He was surprised Jane even wore her gown, seeing as it showed more cleavage than he'd ever seen on her, which was nonexistent.

Jane averted her eyes. "Well, no, actually," she said, surprising no one. She glanced at them, a nice blush on her cheeks. "Why is Mal the only one fully clothed?"

Eyebrow raised, Jay glanced at Mal, wondering how she would answer Jane's question. Would she tell the truth, tell Jane how she was discomforted with her own skin exposed?

Mal remained silent as she weighed her words. Then she smirked. "It's kind of in tune with the theme of our costumes," she said as she walked over to Evie and Jay. "You see," she continued as she stopped in front of them, turning so her back was to them, "I'm like an animal tamer, and these" — she raised her hands, beckoning them with her fingers, and Jay grinned as he and Evie rested their chin in Mal's awaiting palms — "are my animals."

Jay smirked, taking in Carlos' huff of amusement. "Roar," he purred out, winking at Jane.

Jane giggled, nervous and abrupt. "I can't really see any of you being tamed."

You haven't seen us fucking, Jay thought, moving away from Mal's hand — but not before giving her a small nip. He laughed at her annoyed glare. "So," he said, moving to Jane's side to avoid Mal's retaliation, "you came here just for the sights?"

Jane's blush darkened. "Actually, I came to ask for a different hair style..."

Evie brightened. "Oh, let me style it!" She looked at both Jane and Mal. "Can I style it?"

Instead of watching the pouting routine Evie was giving Mal, Jay watched Jane. It was clear to him that she didn't quite know how to take their behavior, and from an objective viewpoint, Jay could see why. Mal had worked long and hard to garner the reputation of frigid murderous bitch on the island, and though she was great at cons, some things weren't easily dropped.

He'd always hear whispers of Mal's presence around Auradon's campus, of how she was frightening and almost otherworldly; they whispered, fearful and nervous and disdainful, that Mal was just like her mother.

On one hand, Jay could grin with pride at how Mal's presence was so great, in how she achieved what she had set out to do. On the other hand, it made him feel physically ill to hear anyone compare Mal to Maleficent.

"Okay, okay," Mal said, letting out a sigh, her hands up at Evie's pout. "Do your stuff."

Jay snorted. "This late in the game?" He joined Carlos at the table, amused that he had already become bored of the event; Carlos and Evie were usually the exact opposite when it came to dress up, even though Carlos knew fashion like the back of his hand thanks to Cruella.

(Jay had to listen to Evie argue with Carlos about how Jane needed to go to the ball, about how tragic it was not to go when it was actually available to her; Carlos had only shrugged, clearly not interested nor understanding why it was such a big deal.

But Jay knew, even though he remained silent. He knew Evie was transferring her wishes, her longing, on Jane. For all Carlos was good with watching people, sometimes, he was a little clueless.)

Smirking, Evie moved to her vanity, holding up one of the many bottles and containers adorning it. "Oh ye non-believer," Evie tsked, beckoning Jane over. "You forget that not all magic requires hand waves."

"It's not that we forget," Carlos piped up, typing something into his laptop. "It's that we don't care."

"Non-believers, the both of you," Evie sighed out, already dabbing Jane's hair with one of the bottle's contents.

Carlos made a face, and Jay laughed.

"Careful, boys," Mal said as she watched Jane's amazement at the way Evie molded her hair with ease, "if you keep cutting up, I'll have to tame you later." She glanced at them, a smirk on her lips.

As he took in the way Carlos shivered, Jay licked his lips, a shiver of his own traveling through his body. He couldn't wait until _later_ arrived.

"Do you want to wear the mask I have for you?" Evie asked Jane, looking at her in the mirror, admiring her own handiwork.

Jane bit her lip, studying herself, turning her head to see Evie's craft. Her hair had more volume, pulled back slightly but flowing in wavy curls at her shoulders. Evie was busy putting silver hair pieces here and there.

"Um," Jane began, her reflection staring at Evie, "if it's okay, I think I'll skip the mask."

Evie smiled. "Want everyone to know who's wearing the gown?" she teased, nodding in understanding. She turned to Carlos. "Give out the masks. We want to be ready in case anyone calls." 

Subtle, Jay thought as he watched Carlos get up and do as told, but he couldn't deny that he was nervous, probably more so than he was for the Halloween festivities. What did he know about ball etiquette? What little he did know about royal affairs only came from the times he couldn't tune out his father's ranting.

"If you're talking about Ben," Jane said slowly, uncertain as she stood up, "he won't be escorting you to the ball."

Evie's smile faded slightly as she took the mask from Carlos. "I know," she said, clearing her throat. "Since he's legally high king, he'd be hosting the event. It wouldn't be proper for him to leave the ballroom." Though she smiled, though her voice sounded pleasant enough, there was a twitch to her lips.

Jay narrowed his eyes. If Ben wasn't the one she was expecting, then who... he thought, glancing at Mal. The near murderous look on her face, though, reminded Jay exactly who Evie had hoped would make an appearance.

He shared a glance with Carlos, saw the thin line his mouth was pressed into as he handed Jay his mask.

"Oh," Jane said, evidently cluing in as well. "I... don't think you should expect Chad either." Her voice was quiet, tone apologetic, and she averted her eyes.

Jaw flexing, Evie fiddled with her mask for a few moments before letting out a sigh. "It doesn't matter," she said as she put on her mask, silver and curved upward as if they were wings, smiling for them all. "Let's go woo everyone at this ball."

Mal and Carlos snorted, putting on their masks as well. Carlos' was red and curved downward to cover his cheeks, and Mal's was black and covered the majority of her face.

Taking a deep breath, Jay put on his mask as well, taking a final glance in the mirror. His was gold, only a straight line that covered his eyes. The mask didn't obscure the makeup Evie put around his eyes, which only made his eyes stand out even more.

Evie did know her stuff... It was hard to focus his attention elsewhere. He looked different... in a weird yet good way.

Jane took a breath, gathering the attention of the room. "Um, I could escort you there, if you want," she offered. She gestured to her gown. "It'll be the least I could do."

Jay looked at Mal, felt the others do the same, and Mal blinked at Jane. Then, she shrugged. "Why not," she said, a smirk forming on her lips. She sauntered toward Jane. "Wanna be part of my little animal collection for the night?"

Jane's blush traveled all the way down her neck to her chest, and she let out a small squeak.

The sight made Jay laugh, and taking pity on her, he moved next to Jane, offering her his arm. "C'mon, little fairy," he said, grinning at Jane as she hesitantly took his arm while averting her eyes, "lead the way before you get too corrupted." He smirked as Mal snorted.

Clearing her throat, Jane nodded. "Okay," she said a little too loudly, and Jay shared a smirk with Evie, noticed Carlos' roll his eyes. Clearing her throat again, Jane continued. "Let's go then."

"After you," Mal said, voice nearly a purr, and she smirked when Jane gave another squeak.

Chuckling to himself, Jay allowed Jane to lead him out of the room, knowing the others wouldn't be far behind, and he felt himself relax.

Maybe they, maybe _he_ , could pull this off.

—

As he stepped into the ballroom, Jay almost took it back. Maybe he couldn't do this.

The place was grander than anything he could've dreamed up, with its ceiling rising high above their heads, crystal chandeliers hanging just above the balcony, glittering in the light. There was a formal orchestra tuning up on the far side of the ballroom.

And Ben. Ben stood on the balcony, overlooking those arriving with a smile, no mask on his face, dressed in a white tailcoat, white trousers so form fitting they might as well be tights, and black knee high boots.

The bastard even wore a sword.

Jay nearly faltered.

"You get used to it," Jane whispered to him, her hand patting his arm sympathetically.

"Maybe you do," he said, looking around the room.

He didn't see much skin, the gowns and suits as conservative as their day to day wear, and so not only were people looking at him and Evie with shock on their faces, they were also surprised to see Jane bare as little as she did.

He felt her hand grip his arm, and he wondered if she realized she was doing it.

"We're here to woo," Evie said to them, her hands at their backs, her presence there calming, as she gently pushed them further into the room. "No one to announce us?"

Jane giggled. "This ball isn't as formal, so announcements aren't really needed." She glanced around. "Though, I don't think you guys really need an announcement."

"I'll say," Carlos murmured, that slight frown of his on his lips.

Jay could understand that; he knew both Carlos and Mal never liked the limelight.

Mal, though, didn't seem too bad as she escorted Evie, the both of them still following Jane's lead. "People aren't dancing," she commented lightly, surveying the room. "Isn't that supposed to be a requirement for a ball?"

"Ah, well, no one dances until the host does," Jane said as she led them to one of the many tables set up along the walls, bowls of punch and sweets adorning the surface.

Evie smiled, removing her arm from Mal's. "So no matter how informal you say this ball is," she began as she let Carlos get closer to the table, "some formalities are still kept in place."

Cheeks pinking slightly, Jane nodded, her gaze traveling to the balcony where Ben stood. "I guess so. I think people wait for him to pick a dance partner."

Letting out a dreamy sigh, Evie's gaze traveled upward as well. "Wouldn't that be something," she murmured.

"You can have it," Carlos said, nose scrunching up as his eyes searched the floor. "But I think his girlfriend gets first dibs."

Both Jay and Mal frowned at the mention of Audrey, and Jay began searching the crowd as well, wondering what type of dress the priss princess would be wearing, what type of mask. He doubted she'd be one of the many in actual costumes, even if they were all pleasant things.

"I don't see her," Mal said after a while, her eyes on the doors, studying the people still entering.

Carlos made a face. "How can you tell with all these masks and costumes?"

Apologetic, Evie placed a hand on Carlos' shoulder. "She's spelled."

"What," Carlos said flatly, conveying how Jay felt.

"It's subtle," Mal said, eyes still on the doors, "but she's been enchanted to resist enchantment."

Jay stared at Mal. How could she know that? He didn't even sense anything on Audrey. Then again, he wasn't actively looking.

"How did you know that?" Jane asked, her tone, her lack of surprise, telling Jay that Mal was indeed correct. 

Smirking, Mal shrugged. "I might have tried to turn her hair gray."

The blatant shock on Jane's face made Jay and Evie laugh.

Mal turned to Jane, her smirk still in place. "When that didn't work, I looked a little more closely at the little princess. It's subtle magic, but it's powerful."

Swallowing, Jane nodded. "Merryweather," was all she said.

"The same fae who lessened my mother's curse," Mal said, nonchalant and bored. She huffed, more amused than Jay thought she'd be. "Figures."

A flourish of trumpets sounded, and everyone looked up. Ben descended the grand stairs, head held high, not looking back as a herald stepped forward on the balcony.

"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highnesses, my lords and ladies, distinguished visitors and people of our land, the high king shall now choose his partner for the first dance. Let our ball commence!"

"Informal, hm?" Evie whispered to Jane, tone teasing as she lightly bumped their shoulders.

Ben reached the ballroom floor, a small smile on his lips as he surveyed the room. His eyes landed on them, and his smiled widened.

Don't you dare, Jay thought, but sure enough, Ben began to make his way toward them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jay noticed Carlos slink away behind Evie and Jane, hiding in plain sight, and before he had the presence of mind to follow Carlos' lead, Jay was staring Ben in the face.

Up so close, he could now make out that Ben's coat was trimmed in silver, the collar and cuffs of his coat a pale blue. Ben, thankfully, was looking at Mal.

"May I have this dance?" Ben asked, smiling at Mal, and he wisely chose not to extend his hand.

Jay held his breath, wondering what she'd do.

Mal blinked at Ben, and though her face was obscured by the mask, Jay could feel her apprehension rise. Her eyes flickered to him briefly, lips twitching, and though her tension was breaking, warning bells went off in Jay's head.

"Gonna have to pass on that," Mal said, smooth and quiet even in the silence of the hall, reaching out for Jay's hand, the mischievous glint to her eyes hard to miss, "but why don't you take Jay on a go around the dance floor?"

"Mal..." Jay mumbled, glaring at her as she pulled him over, wondering what got into her, wondering why he wasn't resisting; he blamed it on the enchantment she put on his feet. Because, really, what was she thinking, and why was he playing along? Ben would have to be crazy to—

"I wouldn't mind that," Ben said pleasantly, actually holding out his hand for Jay to take.

"What," Jay and Mal said together, both of their tones flat.

"Unless you don't really want to," Ben said, his hand lowering.

"He wants to!" Evie said, appearing out of nowhere by Jay's side, a hand on his shoulder. "He's just nervous," she continued in a mock whisper, "because it's his first formal ball."

"Oh, well, this isn't formal, so you have nothing to be worried about," Ben said, smiling like that fixed everything.

"Perfect," Jay said, mouth on auto-pilot, still staring at Ben's hand like it might burn him. Hadn't he heard somewhere that sin couldn't touch true goodness, that it would repel any filth?

Never mind that Ben touched him all the time at tourney; tonight seemed different. 

"Jay?" Ben prompted, a concerned crease to his brow.

Evie squeezed his shoulder. "He doesn't know how to lead," she said sympathetically.

Ben gave them all a soft smile. "I can lead," he said, his smile widening when Jay hesitantly took his hand. "And I promise I won't let you stumble." His thumb smoothed over Jay's ring, his mother's ring.

Yeah right, Jay thought as Ben led him away from the others, unable to believe he was actually going through with it.

"Evie calls next dance," Mal softly called after them, and Jay glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Evie's flustered protests.

Behind them, Jay saw Carlos watching Ben lead him away, a look that was usually reserved for his tinkering sessions on his face. Unable to take the weight of that gaze, Jay faced forward, wishing his mask covered more of his face as he felt his cheeks grow hot.

"Don't be nervous," Ben said gently as he guided Jay in front of him.

"Yeah, sure," Jay mumbled, trying not to tense up as Ben moved close to him. He nearly did tense, though, when Ben placed a hand on his left shoulder blade. "Uh..." he said intelligently, cheeks growing hotter.

Ben smiled kindly. "The first dance is always a waltz, but if you're uncomfortable, you can sit this one out." Despite the fact that the start of the ball depended on them, Ben stood firmly planted, focus entirely on Jay, awaiting his answer; Ben's hand even moved to hover over Jay's skin until given the okay.

Swallowing — he'd never backed down from a challenge yet, so why start now? — Jay shook his head. "Let's see this through, Your Majesty," he said, muscle memory helping him form a confident grin he didn't feel. It nearly faded when Ben's smile became almost blinding.

"Okay, Jay," Ben said as he settled his hand on Jay's skin once more. His free hand moved to place Jay's left hand at Ben's right shoulder, giving it a small squeeze to show that Jay should do the same. When Jay did, Ben smiled as he took hold of Jay's free hand, raising them just below their shoulders' height.

Trying not to pay any mind to the fact that everyone in the ballroom was staring at them, Jay took a deep breath, waiting for further instruction even as he dreaded it.

"It's quick, quick, slow feet movements," Ben said softly, smiling when Jay immediately trained his eyes on his feet. "Think of it like a heartbeat." And then Ben was tapping the rhythm into Jay's shoulder blade. "Whenever you're ready."

"Ready," Jay said, maybe a little too quickly, but if he waited any longer, he knew he would lose his nerve.

Nodding, Ben started moving slowly, guiding Jay, and then music filled the room.

Like a heartbeat, Jay thought, mirroring Ben's movements, following the rhythm of his fingers, and he was vaguely aware that Ben was leading him across the ballroom floor, and not once had Jay stumbled. Just like Ben had promised. Well fuck me, he thought, looking up without thinking.

And he was met with Ben's smile, the lines around his eyes crinkled with delight and pride.

"I knew you could do it," Ben said, even as he kept tapping out the rhythm into Jay's skin.

For which Jay was grateful. Because his heart began to race. Because now that he looked Ben in the face, Jay couldn't look away. The waltz was lost to him, as was the music, all people watching, the ballroom itself, because Ben's deep green eyes were almost hypnotic, were understanding and held no judgement or malice.

And while he had known of those qualities before, Jay had never been so close to Ben for such a prolonged period of time. Seriously, fuck me, Jay thought, nearly lamented, and he wanted nothing more than to _not_ be the object of desire for the love spell. He didn't trust himself with the role.

Ben chuckled, breaking the trance he had over Jay, and he whispered, "Do you trust me?"

Inexplicably, Jay found himself nodding. And then he found himself spinning, only Ben's hand holding his keeping him from stumbling too much. Heart skipping a beat as all the faces of those watching came into his view, Jay held his breath as he felt Ben pull him back, returning to Ben's hands.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Ben asked softly, guiding him.

"A little underhanded, maybe," Jay said, not really meaning anything by it, still unable to believe what was actually happening, that he was _waltzing_ with the High King of Auradon and _not_ making a fool of himself.

Ben laughed, the lines around his eyes crinkling, and he spun Jay again.

Now that he knew spinning and twirling were part of the plan, Jay handled them better, and each one got easier, and he never took his eyes off of Ben's, never got over the softness of Ben's features — not failing to notice that Ben also hadn't taken his eyes off of him.

Jay could never have dreamed up this scenario either.

Finally, the music slowed, and Ben smiled as he slowed them down to a halt. He bowed at the waist, his eyes never leaving Jay's, so Jay returned the gesture. "You did great, Jay," he said, still smiling softly, and he took Jay's hand, leading him back to where Mal and the others waited.

Belatedly, Jay realized the music had stopped — and that Ben had taken his hand in order to escort him back — and once again he wished his mask covered more of his face, especially as they approached the others, Mal's smirk, Evie's gleeful expression, and Carlos' intent stare almost too much for him to handle.

"Oh, Jay, that was wonderful!" Evie exclaimed, taking his hands once Ben released him. "You both looked so good out there." She sighed wistfully, squeezing his hands.

Mal gently pushed her forward. "And now it's your turn," she said, looking pointedly at Ben.

Flustered, Evie held up her hands. "No, no, I couldn't—"

"It's no trouble, Evie," Ben assured, offering his hand to her. "After all, I have no prior commitments."

Still unsure, Evie glanced around the ballroom. "Your girlfriend...?" she asked, letting her voice trail.

Jay saw Mal frown, saw Ben pause. Interesting, he thought, glancing at Carlos, sure he saw their reactions as well.

His smile returning, Ben merely shrugged. "It seems she hasn't arrived yet," he said, pleasant enough, hand still offered.

Staring at his hand, at his smile, Evie took a breath. "If you insist," she began, accepting his offer, "lead the way, good sir." She smiled coyly as she gave him a small curtsy.

Grinning, Ben bowed. "Of course, my lady." He inclined his head to them before leading Evie out onto the dance floor.

Once they were out of earshot, Jay sighed. "I can't believe you threw me to the wolves, Mal."

Snorting, Mal shrugged. "Better you than me," she said, not even close to sorry. "Besides, I didn't think he'd actually do it." She gazed out into the crowd, watching as Evie moved expertly and gracefully in time with Ben, despite the fact that the dance floor had begun to fill. "And," she added, a curious expression on her face, "you looked good together."

Jay groaned, not liking the sound of that one bit, and he glared at Carlos when he snickered.

"Careful, Carlos," Mal said, mischief in her tone and her smirk, "I could volunteer you next." Her smirk deepened when Carlos paled, plainly seen even with his mask obscuring his face.

"You could volunteer me," Lonnie suggested, startling them. She sighed as she watched Ben twirl Evie. "You guys are so lucky. Several people are jealous."

"Jealous? Of us?" Mal asked, incredulous. She blinked at Jay, at Carlos.

"Absolutely!" Lonnie said, as if it was obvious. "You spent all day with him at the festivities, and now each of you are getting to dance with him during the waltzes. That's usually reserved for the upper royalty, considering it's more or less a formal thing." She leaned in close to Mal, making Jay and Carlos lean in as well to hear. "I heard Audrey was positively livid when he told her his plan," she whispered, a chuckle escaping her lips.

"Plan?" Jay asked, surprised, and he glanced at Jane, noting that she was no longer looking at any of them. She must have known, he thought, unable to be upset with the girl; it'd been sneaky, after all.

"You can dance with him," Carlos said to Lonnie, making a face, "because I want no part of his plan."

"And you think I did?" Jay asked, resolutely _not_ pouting.

Lonnie laughed. "Well, you looked good out there, Jay. There were several people who couldn't decide who they were jealous of." She gave him a wink.

Both Mal and Carlos snorted, and Jay only rolled his eyes, grinning in amusement. Lustful stares he could handle; he'd take them over Ben's sincere and attentive gaze any day.

"So little fairy," he said, grinning when Jane froze, "did you know he was going to ask us to dance?"

Swallowing, Jane nearly shrank under the weight of all of their gazes. "I-I heard rumors. It's why I told Evie not to expect Chad at the door..." she mumbled, letting her voice trail, avoiding Mal's eyes.

"Then I'm glad I pushed her to dance with Ben," was all Mal said, her gaze finding Evie on the dance floor and staying with her.

And Jay could understand. She should've been Ben's first dance, he thought as he, too, watched Evie dance with Ben, moving in a way that almost seemed like they rehearsed beforehand.

Chad won't be able to make her smile like that, he thought, mood souring, eyes surveying the crowd, hoping the spoiled prince wouldn't show up and spoil Evie's evening, but he couldn't find Chad's likeness anywhere.

Someone nudged his shoulder, and Jay turned to find Carlos offering him one of the sweets off of the table, his eyes following Evie and Ben on the dance floor. Snorting, Jay took the little pastry.

"Your turn next?" he asked, just to rile Carlos up, before taking a bite.

It worked; Carlos scrunched up his nose. "I am not dancing with him," he said as definitive as he could manage. "Besides, I think I'm last on his list."

Jay raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"He asked Mal first, so I'd say he's more interested in her," Carlos said, pitching his voice low so Mal wouldn't hear. "He chose her above us, which means she's probably the ideal choice for our... project." He glanced around, making sure no one was listening.

Jane had been dancing with Doug, and Lonnie had disappeared with a dude Jay hadn't recognized, so Jay figured they were safe; even Mal was more preoccupied with watching Evie than listening to them.

"Go on," Jay prompted.

Carlos shrugged. "He might have chosen Mal, but Mal's stubborn. So when she refused, he had to go with his second choice." His eyes found Jay's, a curious expression on his face.

Jay paled. "Now, wait one minute," he began, unable to believe what Carlos was even trying to insinuate.

Shaking his head, Carlos continued. "He would have asked Evie if he didn't like you as much as he does, and," he said a little louder when Jay opened his mouth, "I asked Jane. According to her, he's never danced with another guy at one of these things."

Jay stared, his heart racing. "Fuck," was all he said, was all he could say.

"And the fact that he apparently gave the first few dances to us instead of, you know, his girlfriend..." Carlos let his voice trail, shrugging.

"I'm gonna need you to stop talking for a bit," Jay said, feeling ill. He did not need the thoughts now swimming in his head.

Carlos said nothing for a few moments, content to watch Evie do her thing. Then he took a breath. "Even if he does like you and Mal over Evie, I still think it'll be fine if we let Evie do it."

"Allah, I hope," was all Jay said. He couldn't be the object of desire. He just _couldn't_.

Because he'd been fantasizing about Ben's mouth and his cock and his damned smile and his whole body, because he'd been getting off to the Ben in his head, and yet being so close to the genuine article was nothing like his fantasies; it was better and worse at the same time.

Ben was as soft and as gentle as Jay had imagined, but he was nowhere near as pliable — Ben had had _him_ pliable, had had Jay putty in his hands, molded Jay with a few glances and a few words.

Watching him dance with Evie, watching Ben lead her with the same grace he led Jay, it only made Jay want to bow, want to get on his knees, want to present his ass, made him wonder what it would be like to have Ben above him, in him.

Fuck, think of something else, he thought, scolding himself as he tried to quell his arousal, especially when Mal glanced at him, eyebrow raised. It doesn't mean anything; Carlos is _wrong_ ; filth like you can't touch someone like him, Jay thought, steeling himself, trying to push the notion, the thoughts, away from his mind.

The music ended, and soon, Ben escorted Evie back to them, both of them slightly out of breath but all smiles.

"Welcome back," Mal said, a smirk threatening to form on her lips. "Had fun?" She was addressing Evie more than Ben; in fact, she seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

"Like a dream," Evie said on a sigh, and Jay hated that he could relate to that. "I didn't even notice everyone else dancing." She smiled at Ben, unable to be anything other than genuinely excited.

Ben smiled back, as genuine as usual, standing straight with his hands behind his back.

"You're making my back ache just looking at you," Jay said, unable to stop himself. Ben seemed too rigid, and it unnerved him a little.

What unnerved him more, though, was the fact he knew Ben's regular posture.

Laughing, Ben nodded. "It's the suit," he explained, smiling at Jay as he eyed him. "Wish I had the confidence to pull off your look."

Feeling his cheeks warm, Jay cleared his throat. "Oh, uh, well," he began, wanting to smack himself; he was never this tongue tied, but Ben's words and his gaze only made Jay remember his fantasies more vividly in his mind.

Fuck, he was fucked.

"It's a good look, don't worry," Ben said, smile softening. "Evie did your hair and makeup as well?" he asked, turning to Evie.

She beamed. "Of course," she answered, accepting the drink Carlos handed her. "Jay's the easy one to get ready. He's so cooperative, and he pulls it off rather well, wouldn't you say?" She smiled at Jay.

"To say the least," Ben agreed, eyes once again on Jay, smile still soft. "You look different, but it's a good different."

Swallowing, Jay just nodded, heart racing, stomach fluttering. He couldn't explain it, but hearing Ben say those words, it almost felt like... He didn't even know the word for it, didn't have quite the right context for it. All he knew was that a pleasant warmth had settled within him at Ben's praise, at his approval.

"Going back out there?" Evie asked, a serene smile on her face as she took a small sip of drink.

Ben merely shrugged. "Well, I'm not much for dancing without a willing partner, and as Mal and Carlos made it clear they don't want to dance..." Letting his voice trail, he smiled at them all, a little twinkle in his eyes.

Jay quickly looked at Carlos, saw him freeze.

He also didn't fail to notice Mal stiffen, made worse by Evie's pleading look.

"Maybe if they had alcohol, I'd dance," Mal said slowly.

A snort escaped him before Jay could help it. "You don't drink," he reminded her. Not that he could blame. Booze sounded good right about then.

"If I had to dance, I'd start," she said plainly, crossing her arms, jaw sticking out defiantly.

Ben laughed. "Don't worry, I won't cause her to drink," he told them, grinning. "I'm just happy you guys attended."

Mal huffed. "Evie would never let us hear the end of it if we didn't," she said, the corners of her mouth twitching upward.

Ben laughed again, and he accepted Evie's offered drink, talking more about her designs as Jane, Lonnie, and Doug joined their little group.

The music became more upbeat, faster in tempo, and louder in volume, and Jay relaxed, noting that the ball goers had started to cut loose, the formality in the air dissipating by the second.

Maybe this isn't so bad, Jay thought, grinning when Carlos refused to take off his mask to show off Evie's makeup skills, and he laughed when they demanded the same of him, and he took of his mask with ease, fluttering his lashes.

The girls and Ben liked his antics, laughing and complimenting him. Mal and Carlos merely rolled their eyes as they tried to hide their smirks, and Doug simply raised an eyebrow. Jay grinned at them all, feeling more free than he'd ever felt.

The lights began flashing, and Jay felt a chill creep on him, standing the hair at the back of his neck. Swallowing, he glanced at Mal, at Carlos and Evie. The younger pair didn't seem to mind, laughing at something or other as Lonnie handed them some sweets, but Mal... Mal's calm expression had faded and a tension had settled in her shoulders.

"Mal..." Jay said, and though his voice was too low in comparison to the music and the atmosphere within the ballroom, Mal turned to him, her brow creased, and he knew she felt whatever he did.

Her eyes widened, her mouth open in a little o as she looked over his shoulder, as a shrill scream and several gasps filled the air, and Jay found himself turning on instinct.

"Jay, don't!"

It felt like the wind was knocked out of him, his heart stopping, his throat closing, his stomach churning.

Walking toward them, toward him, were four figures, and the one in the forefront was Jafar.

"Allah, please," Jay croaked out, his whole body trembling as Jafar got closer, the flashing lights making him more sinister, even more sinister than the regal clothing he wore — the outfit immortalized in the museum.

Jafar outstretched his arm, pointed to Jay, and Jay fell to his knees automatically, mind going numb even as he fleetingly wondered how on Earth Jafar got off the island. But it didn't matter. Because he knew. He knew he couldn't escape, knew that no matter where he went, where he ran or hid, that Jafar would always be able to reach him.

Jay was his property, after all.

"Jay!"

It's no use, Jay thought, not even recognizing the voice calling him, his eyes unable to leave Jafar. He blinked, and Ben's face was in front of him.

"Jay," Ben said, tone adamant and fierce even as concern painted his features, his hands framing Jay's face, "Jay, it isn't real."

What?

"Jay?" Ben's brow creased with worry. He glanced up, looked at something over Jay's shoulder. "Evie? Carlos?" Ben called, his thumbs smoothing circles into Jay's skin even as his attention was on the others. "Mal!"

Something sparked around him, something furious and white hot, and Jay instinctively recognized it as Mal's magic, even if it was wild, unrestrained, and knowing that Mal was there to fight, that she _could_ fight, made Jay breathe easier, especially since Ben hadn't moved from his spot, obstructing his view of Jafar.

His eyes widened, his blood turning cold. Ben was in front of him, right in Jafar's path. "No," he whispered, gut twisted into uncomfortable knots at the thought of Ben falling into Jafar's hands. He felt too sick.

Ben looked at him again, expression still concerned, eyes still compassionate.

He would be ruined, would be broken and sullied just like Jay.

And Jay had brought it upon them, upon Ben, for giving into his vices, for indulging in shameful acts and thoughts. He was to blame.

"No," he said again, and he could feel the sting of tears in his eyes, and he hated himself more than he ever had, hated how he was so powerless to do anything, to protect those he claimed, to protect Ben. "Allah, please..." He hated himself so much.

Frowning, expression fiercer than Jay had ever seen it, Ben turned around, turned to face Jafar. "Chad, _enough_!" he said, tone leaving no room for argument, voice nearly booming as it echoed in the hall.

Jay blinked.

The ballroom was deathly silent. The lights had stopped flashing.

And Jay saw.

Standing before Ben, were Chad, Audrey, and two other girls Jay didn't recognize, dressed as poor imitations of Jafar, Cruella, and Maleficent and Evil Queen. The flashing lights had masked their actual identities, had hid the inaccuracies of their wardrobe, but now that the lights were calm and the hall was silent and still, everything was clear.

Yet Jay still couldn't get his heart steady.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ben questioned — _demanded_ — as he stood up, his bearing different, imposing and indomitable, protectively standing in front of Jay.

Whoever was dressed as Maleficent and Evil Queen visibly swallowed, even shrinking back some, but Chad and Audrey held their ground, even if Audrey breathed a little unevenly, her lip trembling just the slightest.

"What's a little prank between classmates on Halloween?" Chad said lightly, trying for charming but looking more and more like a snake.

Audrey closed her eyes, brow creasing — though whether at Chad's words or Ben's expression, Jay didn't know.

"Your actions are inexcusable. Get out," Ben said slowly, voice low and tone authoritative, bearing unchanged. Jay couldn't see his face, but how ever he looked, Chad had paled considerably, his mouth closing with an audible click.

He and the others walked away, managing a steady pace despite the entire hall staring at them.

Ben watched them go, waiting until they had stepped passed the doors before he turned around, swallowing down whatever he was feeling as he looked at them, straightening his coat. "Jay..." he began, fierce expression melting away, arm reaching out.

"Don't," Mal said, barely above a whisper, yet her anger was barely contained. "Don't touch him."

Taking a quick breath, Jay glanced over his shoulder. And his stomach dropped.

Carlos and Evie looked like he felt, and seeing Carlos' blank expression and dim eyes, seeing Evie's rigid posture and trembling body made Jay even more ill. Mal's mask was in her hands, expression stormy as she stared Ben down, her eyes a half second away from turning emerald.

"All right," Ben agreed, arm lowering but keeping his hands where they could be seen. "Mal, I never meant for—"

"What's done is done," she said, expression stony, and she took Evie's and Carlos' elbow, guiding them to Jay.

He tried to get up on his own, but his legs wouldn't cooperate, and he was both glad for Mal's hand and ashamed for needing it.

"Mal," Ben tried again, expression pained, "if there's anything—"

"Let us go," she whispered fiercely, jaw flexing. "Let me undo the damage," she said, even quieter, somehow so quiet in the stifling quietude of the ballroom.

Jay watched Ben search her eyes, her face, watched as he searched them all, and he must have found whatever he was looking for because he nodded, stepping to the side and gesturing to the door, barely masking the pain on his face.

Feeling Mal's grip on his arm tightening just a fraction, Jay followed Mal's lead, telling himself not to look back at Ben, not to look at any of the masked faces staring at them.

And yet, through it all, he felt the phantom tap of Ben's fingers on his shoulder, quick-quick-slow, _like a heartbeat_.

Jay closed his eyes.

———

Mal was going to murder Chad.

The boys' room was closer, so that's where she brought them, ushered them inside and locked the door, both physically and magically. She wanted nothing to intrude, to touch what was hers, for the remainder of the evening — of the week, even!

Pulling off her gloves and flinging her jacket off of her, Mal frowned. God, they look lifeless, she thought as she carefully undid Evie's corset. Mal might be furious, might want to lash out and maim, but she'd never ruin something Evie took time and care to create.

"Mal..." Jay whispered, and he seemed on the verge of collapse, his eyes so dim, so dead, worse than the night of Maleficent's order, worse than his fortnight of captivity within Jafar's shop.

Okay, so I can't take my time, she thought, and she closed her eyes, focused her concentration, and snapped her fingers. She felt magic swirl around her, around the room, and when she opened her eyes, Mal saw their outfits slowly coming undone.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Mal moved to Jay, placing her hands on his face, trying not to think about how Ben had done the same. "What is it, Jay?" she asked gently, keeping her voice steady. She hadn't seen Jay react like that before, had never seen Jay _give up_.

She was going to murder Chad, and anyone who had a hand in his stupid plot, _slow_.

When he remained silent, Mal glanced at the others, watched as they let her magic move them out of their outfits as if they were just dolls. "What do you want of me?" she asked them, unable to take Carlos' blank stare, unable to take Evie's rigidness, Jay's defeat.

Jay shuddered in her hands, and he leaned in closer, asking but not taking, his eyes closing tight. "Mal..."

And so Mal kissed him, pulled him as close as she was able, kissed him firm and deep and claiming, and she counted it a victory when she felt him shudder again, when she heard him whimper as she pulled away. "What do you want of me?" she asked again, looking into his eyes, so grateful to see the tiny spark within.

"Please," he said, closing his eyes as he leaned into her touch. "Please, I just. Give me something, anything, to do with my mouth." He stared at her, lost. "Please, Mal."

Mal nodded, swallowing quickly. I won't give you to Carlos, not after seeing Jafar, she thought as she kissed him again. That only leaves... she thought as they broke apart. "Wait here, Jay," she whispered, giving him a quick kiss. "I'll take care of you, but you have to be patient. You can be good."

Shivering, Jay nodded faintly.

"Evie," Mal said, moving over to her, taking Evie's face in her hands. "What do you want of me?" she asked as she kissed along her jaw.

"I'm cold," Evie whispered, and as faraway as her eyes were, they were watery with unshed tears. "Mal, I feel so cold."

Shushing Evie's fear, Mal kissed her firmly on the lips. "Jay will warm you up," she said softly as she guided Evie to Jay. "Is that what you want, Jay?" she asked him, lifting his chin to meet Evie's eyes. "Do you want to set a fire in Evie's body?"

Eyes flashing, Jay nodded, already licking his lips, and he glanced at Mal for further instruction.

Heart skipping a beat, Mal turned to Evie, studying her. "Do you want Jay to light a fire within you?" she asked as she leaned in, kissing her neck, counting another victory as Evie relaxed.

"Please," Evie said, eyes finally alight as she looked at Jay.

Done, Mal thought, and she waved her hand, made the blankets and pillows fall from Carlos' and Jay's bed, forming a little nest reminiscent of their time spent in Carlos' treehouse or Evie's bedroom. They needed something familiar, something as safe as they knew.

Taking both of Evie's hands in hers, Mal guided her down, slowly laying her across the little nest, kissing Evie's neck, her jaw, her lips all the while. Mal kissed her way down Evie's chest, her torso, her navel, kissed all the way down to her cunt, feeling Evie squirm and sigh.

Jay's quiet whimper caught her attention, and Mal lean back on her knees, holding out her hand for Jay. "Come here," she said softly, her thumb brushing against the back of his hand. "I know you'll please her, I know you'll enjoy it." She kissed him before she guided him down, her chest tightening at how he groaned for Evie.

Evie whimpered, letting out a long sigh as Jay kissed her inner thigh, as he began kissing her cunt, and they both began to relax.

Two down, one to go, Mal thought as she focused on Carlos — Carlos, who had remained in one spot, his head down slightly, curled in on himself, his face still blank.

Hefting herself up, she walked to him, trying to be as nonthreatening as she could manage. "Carlos," she whispered as she gently lifted his chin; his eyes were chilling. "Carlos, what do you want of me?"

"I want nothing," he murmured, face neutral, eyes unfocused.

It made Mal frown. "Carlos," she said a little firmer, cupping his chin now, "you are here with us. You are with _us_." It was slow, but Mal saw awareness trickle into his features. "You're with us now, and in the morning, you'll still be with us." Pushing past the lump in her throat, she continued, "They are _not_ here."

Slowly, so slow it hurt, Carlos blinked. "Mal..." he said, swallowing, and he glanced at Jay and Evie as Evie gasped, as Jay moaned.

"You are ours, not _hers_ ," Mal said, her thumb brushing against his cheek, and she asked again, "What do you want of me?"

He stared at her, eyes searching her face, lips twitching, and he looked down. "I want to be of use," he said quietly, swallowing as he closed his eyes. "Give me use."

Mal kissed him, gentle, slow, exploring. "You are," she whispered into his lips. "You're such a good boy for us."

Carlos whined, squeezing his eyes tighter before he opened them, and they were more alight than Mal had ever seen them. He licked his lips.

"Can you take the weight off Jay's shoulders?" she asked him, guiding them to the nest. "Can you make him feel good?"

Nodding, Carlos dropped to his knees, ran his hand down Jay's spine as he peppered his back with kisses.

Jay made an inquisitive noise, tensing just the slightest.

"Shhh, Jay," Mal said as she joined them. "Let Carlos do what he wants." She ran her fingers through Jay's hair. "You deserve to feel pleasure, too."

She watched as he closed his eyes, as he buried himself further into Evie's cunt, and she watched as his actions made Evie arch off of the pillows, her head thrown back as she moaned.

Satisfied that Jay would allow it, Mal turned to Carlos, finding him waiting on her instruction, and she nodded. "His pleasure is in your hands," she murmured, petting Jay again, feeling him shiver and moan.

Wasting no time, Carlos maneuvered himself and Jay so that he was able to reach Jay's cock with his mouth, and the moment he took Jay in, Jay moaned, low and loud, swaying a little.

"Shh, Jay," Mal murmured, leaning in close and kissing Jay's shoulder. "You're allowed this pleasure. Feel it. Go slow. Savor it." She kissed his shoulder, running her hand through his hair again, and when he nodded, when he groaned for it, Mal left his side.

"Mal," Evie gasped out, her hands clenching the sheet, her eyes so dark and heated that Mal couldn't help but give her a deep, slow kiss, enjoying the way Evie _melted_.

"It's okay," Mal whispered when they broke apart. "Just enjoy yourself," she murmured as she traced Evie's lips with the pad of her thumb. "Jay will take care of you, and I'll be watching."

Her words made Evie groan, and she rolled her hips to meet Jay.

"Slow and steady, my princess," Mal instructed, knowing the term, the title, would undo Evie further, and she was rewarded with a high whine from the back of Evie's throat.

Jay whined as well, but Mal suspected for a different reason.

After all, Carlos was quite talented with his tongue.

Peering at the youngest — young but not weak — of their little arrangement, Mal took in how Carlos' cock hung with arousal, already leaking, but both of his hands were focused on Jay. As always, Carlos hadn't worried about his own pleasure.

Not tonight, Mal thought as she moved toward Carlos, her hand trailing down both Evie's and Jay's bodies, smiling slightly as she felt them tremble at her touch. Her chest tightened at how Carlos hadn't noticed her, his eyes closed as he bobbed his head, as he took as much of Jay in his mouth as he could, and when Mal's fingertips caressed the head of his cock, he jumped, eyes flying open.

"Mal," he gasped out, pulling his mouth away from Jay's cock; his hands, though, never faltered, stroking Jay the way he liked it.

"You're allowed pleasure, too," was all she said, and she traced the tip of his cock with her finger, eyebrow raised.

Swallowing, Carlos nodded, almost shy, and when he took Jay back in his mouth, he groaned, closing his eyes again, because Mal matched his movements, stroked him in time with his own bobs, followed the movement of his own hand.

She looked over them, over the ones she claimed, saw them shudder and move and moan in their pleasure, and Mal felt her resolve form, felt her heart harden once more, and as Evie reached out to her, her passion escalating, as Mal reached for Evie, as their fingertips touched, a spark shot out among all of them, all of them shuddering simultaneously as Evie cried out.

Leaning back on her knees, Mal watched the ones she claimed ride out their orgasms, her hand stroking Carlos through his, and she felt something within her crumble — something she thought had already cracked beyond all repair.

"Breathe," she said, and she truly didn't know who the words were meant for or why she said them. But she had, and they had followed her instruction as they collapsed next to each other.

Noticing Evie eying her hand, Mal moved a little closer, offering, and Evie licked her lips as she took Mal's fingers into her mouth, moaning quietly as she licked Carlos off of Mal's hand.

"Breathe," Mal said again, looking over them. "We'll get Chad and Audrey back, along with those two other girls, but for now, breathe." And she would get them back. She'd made them pay dearly. She could bide her time.

Jay only grunted, clearly not interested in remembering why they were in his and Carlos' room, instead of the grand ballroom, instead of spending their first Halloween with Ben and the others.

Mal tried not to think about anything.

Evie took a breath, letting it out shakily. "My mother used to take me into this inner castle chamber with no windows or furniture, no light except for her torch. She'd make me undress, and she'd inspect me for anything she deemed an irregularity. When she found one, she'd use her acidic solution to erase it."

Even though she had known about it, to hear Evie recount the routine with such a monotone voice, such a blank expression, it made Mal's blood boil.

"I'll kill her," Jay said, pulling Evie closer, his arms wrapped around her, and though his tone was harsh, the fire didn't reach his eyes; instead, his own demons lay within them.

Silently, Carlos moved closer to them, wrapping his own arms around Evie. He swallowed. "Ever since I can remember, my mother..." He took a breath. "She serves my food in a d-dog bowl. When I complete my chores to her satisfaction, she gives me water in one, too." Incredibly, the corners of his mouth twitched upward. "I think you guys know what happens when I don't perform satisfactorily."

"Carlos..." Mal said, placing her hand on his shoulder. She was angry at Cruella, but more than that, she was angry with herself for not seeing it, for not realizing.

"I'll kill her, too," Jay said as he pulled Carlos close, holding him tight as well. He glanced at Mal. "I'll kill them both."

He lacks confidence, she thought as she stared at him. "I'll kill Jafar," she said, and she made sure she showed him her conviction.

He smiled, slightly twisted, his eyes still dim. "I can't kill Maleficent," he said, and he chuckled, harsh and mirthless, smile fading when both Evie and Carlos held him closer. "I can't kill Maleficent."

Her stomach churning, Mal slowly got up off the floor, trying to ignore the wounded looks on Evie's and Jay's faces. Steeling herself, she removed her pendant, her shirt, her boots, her pants, ignoring the shock in each of their expressions. Taking as subtle breath as she could manage, Mal removed her bra, baring her flesh, her soul.

Jay sat up, a little light returning to his eyes as he took her in, brow creased in concern, in intrigue, and Evie, who had seen her nudity before, stared with something like awe. Carlos. Carlos looked at her like she as a machine he couldn't figure out, though his gaze perhaps less intense, less impartial.

Taking another subtle breath, Mal turned around, her hand subconsciously traveling to just above the small of her back, to the place where a black two headed dragon with wings unfurling rested. "You won't have to kill Maleficent," she said quietly, her voice loud in the silence of the room.

I'll be the one to do it, or I'll die trying, she thought, heart hardening.

"Mal..." Evie said, her voice just as quiet, and Mal couldn't help but turn around at her tone.

Evie was kneeling now, as were the boys, all three looking up at her in confusion, in wonder.

"We get that wand, and we'll kill our parents," Mal said, promising, making another vow to them.

And she saw it, saw the way Carlos' eyebrows twitched, his eyes bright, and she knew he knew what she was thinking at the moment.

As long as their parents lived, they would never be free, would never be safe, and as long as they remained on the island, their parents would never die. The only option was to take the wand to release their parents, and only then could they kill them.

(Except for Maleficent, a treacherous little voice whispered inside her head; Maleficent would sooner kill them all than be brought down again. And in her heart, Mal knew the voice to be true, but it only made her resolve to end her mother's life stronger.

She would die in the process, but the ones she claimed as hers would _live_.)

"Mal," Jay said, bringing her out of her thoughts, and though he looked like he had oceans to say, no other words flowed from his mouth.

Nodding, Mal returned to their nest, let Jay pulled her close to him, let him rest his forehead against hers. She let Evie hold her hand, let her lace their fingers as she leaned her head against Mal's shoulder, and she let Carlos rest at her side, let him wrap his arms around her.

"We'll get that wand," she said as she let them pull her down, and she wrinkled her nose, making the lights go out. "Together," she murmured into the darkness.

"Together," came the reply, all three speaking simultaneously, and they all huddled closer to together.

And it was enough.

Mal closed her eyes, ignoring the nagging pinch to her heart, the small crack of emptiness she felt.

It had to be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from Enchantment Passing Through from Aida. Opening paragraph reworked from the opening narration from Beauty and the Beast [with some Count of Monte Cristo added in, just cause I like to be extra geeky]. Those are the major shout outs. If I'd list every single shout out in the fic, the notes would be even longer, and no one wants that.
> 
> BUT OKAY SO major disclaimer okay I need everyone to understand: I do not find Chad's actor gorgeous. Like, sorry, boy, go somewhere else. [besides, I already have a white boy favorite, and that is Ben.] ALSO. Raise your hand if you want to punch Chad in the dick. [or don't because, well. Be careful what you wish for is all I'm gonna say.]
> 
> But if I see one bad thing about Audrey hooooooo boooooy I'll cry lol [jk you don't have to like her, I get it, everyone has preferences. but no, really, I'll probably cry. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE CHAPTER EIGHT].
> 
> Oh, some of you might have seen my pathetic attempt at costume design, but here's what I pictured Evie and Jay's Halloween Ball outfits like: [this is a link.](http://thatoneshippyblog.tumblr.com/chseven) [you don't get Carlos and Mal's because, again, I am not an artist and those were terrible.] It also has the proclamation in my horrible handwriting [and believe it or not, that's me writing neatly yikes]. BUT BE WARNED. that blog is my nsfw porn side blog. If you are faint of heart, stick to the descendants tag. Don't say I didn't warn you.
> 
> I feel like there was more I wanted to talk about but I am a dumb. A lot happened in this chapter, yeah? WELL GET READY FOR A BREATHER BECAUSE CHAPTER EIGHT IS SUPER LIGHTER [well, in terms of the fic as a whole]. You know. Before it goes to shit again. Only two more chapters left!! Who's excited!?
> 
> [Hint: it's me. I am excited.]
> 
> BUT ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, EVERYONE TALK TO ME ABOUT BEN MY DARLING BOY i really will cry if a bad thing is said about him tho my darling angel who doesn't deserve what i'm gonna do to him BUT I AM KINDA UPSET I HAD TO CUT THE CHAPTER AND PUSH HIS POV TO CH8 but it was for the best because i can't have a chapter that was over 60k like seriously what the actual fuck self and oh look at the time i'm no longer using caps or punctuation it's a sign for me to leave have a good day/week/month everyone!


	8. Maybe I'm brainless, maybe I'm wise (seeing through different eyes)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Chapter 8 Part 1**. The Core Four enact their new plot to get the wand. The love spell works. But on whom?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR SINCE I STARTED THIS FIC HOLY FUCK PEOPLE. This is a first for me. I am frightened. More so by how long it's been since I've updated. Again, holy fuck.
> 
> I hate my brain =]
> 
> WARNINGS. The opening scene contains torture, violence, incestuous rape, bestiality, and character deaths. I didn't tag for the bestiality or character death uhhhhh because reasons. But like. It isn't graphic, I promise [well, idk, but the bestiality is definitely not graphic]. Though, if I need to tag, tell me, and I will. That opening scene is the only "intense" scene in the chapter, though, so everything else should be fine. Maybe. I can never tell help me help you help us.
> 
> Anyway. Now. I reveal my true face to you. Through this chapter [both parts]. Beware. Beware.
> 
> So this is definitely unbeta'd and there will definitely be mistakes [because it's OVER 93K WORDS FUCK ME MAN]. I humbly ask that, if you see any, please tell me so I can correct them. google translate can only help so much lmao

The Halloween Ball had been fantastic. The music, the costumes, the attire, Ben. It was a dream, and the notion of dreading it, if it ever occurred, seemed absurd when actually there. Evie had fallen into the whole affair, and she felt at ease, at home, dancing across the floor in Ben's arms, basking in the attention he gave her, making her feel like the only one in the room, making her feel like he actually saw her for her. Jay had also gotten lost in the affair, more than he ever thought he would, gotten lost in being pretty and gotten lost in Ben's acknowledgment of that prettiness — he wasn't made to feel weak yet there was no pressure to feel strong, and it was freeing. Carlos, though not getting lost in the affair, surprised himself by enjoying the event, found himself enjoying the company of strangers, found himself enjoying Ben's gaze and laugh and smile. Mal kept her head, as she vowed to do, but she smiled and indulged, watching over hers as they enjoyed themselves, stealing glances at Ben when she allowed herself to indulge in another kind of affair. Everything had almost been perfect for the four, and it was a relief.

And then Grimhilde appeared, eyes critically roaming over Evie's outfit, sneering at her joy and pride and feelings, and in her hands were that damned vial of acid and that damned cloth, and as Grimhilde approached Evie, she spat out, _You pathetic hideous waste of flesh! Dressing and acting like a common whore yet unable to muster the sense to actively use that worn out cunt of yours to snag a prince! Come here and get purified!_ And Cruella appeared, her crazed smile stretching her face as she opened her arms, approaching Carlos as she called out, _Come here, little pet; I know you miss your little bed and your little bowls. Come boy, let me take you to Old Man Sykes, let me turn you into the lowly beast I know you want to be since you like giving it up like a bitch in heat to anyone who wants it._ And then Jafar appeared, his heated eyes raking over Jay's body, the weight of his gaze bringing Jay to his knees, and Jafar's grin was sinister, his voice dripping acid as he spoke, _That's right, my little treasure, know your place. You belong on your knees for me always, and what a pretty picture you make. You know you belong to me, don't you? You must crave it, dressing like the pretty little whore you are, my little jewel. Come show your daddy gratitude for coming to claim you._

And Maleficent appeared, unmoving and unblinking as she stared at Mal, and Mal stared back, and she told herself it wasn't real, that it couldn't be real because Mal sensed no magic from the being with her mother's face. And then Maleficent smiled, and before Mal could blink, Maleficent had her hand around Mal's throat, grip punishing as she held Mal so that her feet dangled above the floor. _Oh daughter mine. The moment you think you know more than I do is the moment you are truly defeated._ Maleficent glanced to her side, a wicked smirk on her lips. _These foolish emotions you think you possess, look what they've wrought._ And she threw Mal to the floor and grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking Mal's head back so she had no choice but to see what Maleficent wanted her to see. To see Grimhilde dousing Evie with acid, watching as Evie kept a blank face as her flesh melted away, the only tell giving away her agony her wide, terrified eyes. To see Cruella pressing Carlos' head into the floor with her heeled boot, laughing as he cried, his body shaking as a beast of a dog came up behind his bared ass. To see Jafar force his dick down Jay's throat, Jay so slack and emotionless he resembled a lifeless doll, his eyes dead.

And Maleficent pulled Mal's hair harder, forcing her to see another, to see Ben's horrified expression as he, too, took in the sight, as the entire ballroom watched and did nothing. _Look what you've wrought upon them, oh daughter mine. All because you thought you could change my design. Well, look now on what your foolishness will bring._ And Mal watched those she claimed, those she swore to protect, blacken and curl in on themselves, their faces a picture of anguish, as if they were charred, as if they were burning alive. And Maleficent's grip in her hair tightened, and Mal watched as Ben stared at her, expression changing from horrified to slack jawed as he glanced down, and Mal watched as his white coat stained red, the blood leaving his heart from the hole carved in his chest, and Mal watched as Ben looked up again, looked at her again, and Ben looked calm, looked serene, even as he fell, even as the life left his eyes. And Mal could only look at the scene in front of her, Ben in a pool of his own blood surrounded by the mangled forms of those she claimed.

And Maleficent laughed.

———

Mal awoke with a start, her eyes snapping open as she lay still and rigid, not even daring to breathe.

It took an absurdly long time for her to remember where she was, to remember that she was lying in the makeshift nest she made for the ones she claimed, to remember how the Halloween Ball had actually ended, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

Her head rested on Jay's chest, and she felt his heart beat, perhaps faster than usual but still present, and to her right and left were Evie and Carlos, curled into her sides, Evie's head on Mal's shoulder, Carlos' head between Mal's head and Jay's. The feeling of their warmth, the sound of their breathing, made Mal's heart lighter, reinforcing the fact that they were alive.

But as she really listened, not just with her own ears but with her _senses_ , Mal realized that, while hers were alive, they were restless. Frowning, she slowly, and with great care, rose from her position, using every skill in stealth she possessed not to wake them, and Mal surveyed them, her frown deepening.

She could feel Jay's magic bubbling, threatening to spill out of him, just as sure as she felt his heartbeat. She could feel Evie's magic receding, burrowing deep within and threatening to implode even as she slept on, only the slight crease to her brow giving away her inner turmoil. She could feel Carlos' mind racing, his face and body openly tightened with anxiety.

They're dreaming, she thought, realization hitting her hard, closing her throat. She had been seeing their dreams, their nightmares, in her own, and as a chill settled over her, Mal wondered if that connection were a two-way street, wondered if they also saw _her_ dream, her nightmare, her vision.

Taking in a deep breath to steady herself, Mal opened her arms, stretched them over the ones she claimed, her palms facing down, facing them, and Mal closed her eyes, concentrating. Let them sleep easy, let them rest well, she thought, not wanting them to see even one more second of the horrors of their own minds.

A breath escaped her without her consent, and when she opened her eyes, Carlos no longer looked so tense, Jay's magic had calmed, and Evie actually wore a smile in her sleep. Satisfied, Mal gingerly got to her feet, still careful not to disturb them, and she covered them with one of the blankets before she crept to Jay's wardrobe, intent on stealing something threadbare from him.

She wasn't ready to put on her ball attire just yet.

Someone knocked at the door, hard enough to be heard but light enough not to disturb slumber, and Mal had half a mind to ignore their caller, but she knew the spell she placed on the door: no one with ill intentions, no one they didn't want to see, would be able to get close to the door.

Two such persons came to her mind as she threw on a shirt and a pair of pants from Jay's wardrobe, and though she didn't entirely want to see either of them right that second, her feet brought her to the door anyway. As she opened it, she held her breath, keeping her hand on the knob.

Ben stood before her, face solemn, keeping a respectful distance, and his gaze didn't even flicker over her appearance, over the fact that she was disheveled from hers clinging to her in sleep, or over the fact that she wore clothes obviously not her own; his eyes remained on hers.

"Mal..." he began, swallowing when she remained silent, "Mal, I'm sorry." He winced slightly, no doubt remembering how she didn't like it when he apologized so much, but he continued. "I know it won't make up for what was done, but everyone involved has been spoken to by Fairy Godmother, and punishment has been served to each party."

Whatever it is, it isn't enough, she thought, staring at him, wanting to be mad — to be as furious as she had right to be — but lacking the strength to be so. Not when faced with Ben's ridiculous face early in the morning.

"Is that all?" she asked, both bothered and unnerved by the fact that Ben seemed to be waiting on her instruction. She refused to let him in, not least because hers were naked and vulnerable in their makeshift nest.

At her words, Ben's eyes became downcast, but only for a moment. He gave her a smile, genuine but nowhere near as potent as his usual ones. "I know it isn't much in your eyes, but my hands are tied. Auradon City serves as a neutral space among the kingdoms, so everyone has a sort of diplomatic immunity. It's tedious and really doesn't make much sense, but because of it, the Fairy Godmother is only allowed to do so much." 

That... isn't what I meant at all, but it's interesting, she thought, trying to lessen her anger out of her features. Eyebrow raised, Mal shook her head. "What I meant was, is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh," Ben said, sheepish as he shook his head. "No. I know it's a long shot, but I also wanted to invite you all to breakfast." He stood straighter, trying in vain to mask his hopefulness. "To further make it up to you."

For a moment, Ben was standing there with a blood soaked chest, that serene acceptance on his face, and then Mal blinked. Her grip on the doorknob tightened. "I think we'll pass on that. It isn't every day that nearly the whole school witnesses a moment of weakness." Jaw flexing, she wondered why on Earth she said that.

When had she ever admitted weakness, to anyone? And yet now, she acknowledged it so easily to Ben.

Ben's expression sobered, but his eyes were still kind. "I understand. Then I'll let you get back to them, get back to resting." He cleared his throat gently, giving her a smile much closer to his usual. "Please let me know if you need anything. I still owe you a favor, after all."

Forcing a smile, Mal nodded. "Still owe _us_ a favor," she corrected, not liking how her heartbeat stuttered at his words, at his gaze.

Not fazed by the correction, Ben nodded, smile softening. "Of course." He inclined his head, just so. "Tell them I wish them well today." And with that, Ben was leaving.

For one idiotic moment, Mal thought about calling to him again, but she threw the notion from her mind, instead closing the door and only just managing to refrain from leaning against it.

"Still think the love spell will work?" Jay asked quietly.

Mal looked up, not even surprised that he was awake, taking in the way he sat on his knees, facing her with that blank expression, as if waiting for something.

It left a foul taste in her mouth. 

"Don't sit like that," she said as she moved closer, and she found that the other two were awake as well, still lying down and facing each other, but their eyes seemed distant, expression distracted.

Brow creasing, Jay repositioned himself, sitting with legs crossed, and he looked inquisitively at her. "Mal?"

Holding in a sigh, Mal sat down, mirroring Jay, and she shrugged. "What other choice do we have?"

Even if Ben kept telling them he owed them a favor, Mal doubted that he'd be able to get the wand for them without any questions and without Fairy Godmother's say so, and considering that Carlos found no way around that force field, their options weren't great.

(She wasn't willing to test her magical strength against the Fairy Godmother's, and she was even more reluctant to ask for Evie's and Jay's assistance.)

"And who's gonna be the object of desire?" Carlos asked, not moving from his spot, but his eyes traveled to hers.

She felt sick just thinking about it. "What have we learned from last night?" she asked instead of answering him, trying to stall.

"Chad isn't as charming as his parents," Evie murmured, but she blinked and sat up quickly, embarrassed, her mouth open as if she wanted to apologize.

"What else?" Mal asked, not in the mood to bring up Evie's humiliation, and definitely not in the mood to hear Evie apologize for something out of her control.

"Ben can be pissed off," Jay said, raising an eyebrow. "He isn't as passive as previously thought." For a second, he seemed distracted, eyes unfocused and expression blank, and Mal wondered at his inner thoughts.

"He put us before his betrothed," Carlos said slowly, sitting up equally slow. He turned to Evie. "Wouldn't that have caused more uproar than it did?"

She shook her head, biting her lip. "No. The betrothal hasn't been mentioned anywhere. There isn't even talk among the hallways. The engagement is either a secret, or it's been arranged."

Mal stared at Evie, mind wandering, Jane's voice flittering in her memory, _his father could count_. Suppressing a shiver, she figured the beast king arranged the betrothal. And then she frowned at herself. "That isn't what we need to focus on right now," she said aloud, more to remind herself than the others.

They nodded at her anyway.

Clearing his throat, Carlos turned to her. "Mal, how did he look just now?"

Mal raised an eyebrow.

He frowned. "Not like that. You've obviously slept here, and those are obviously not your clothes. Dorm rules say no opposite sex after ten." He looked at her, both expectant and curious. "What was his reaction?"

"There was no reaction," she answered. "Either he's truly dense, or he just didn't care." Even as she said them, she knew that her words weren't all true. Ben had shown care — just not at her being in the boys' room.

It's like he put our well-being before the rule, she thought, the warmth in her gut at odds with the chill running down her spine.

"For someone who's supposed to be all for goodness, he sure doesn't mind less than good things happening," Carlos muttered, more to himself than anyone else, his brow creased slightly.

"Explain," Mal said, almost wincing when Carlos startled at her tone.

Shrugging, Carlos nodded to Evie. "He didn't get on her for doing Chad's homework, wasn't jealous when Jay flirted with Audrey when we first arrived, showed his jockstrap to Jay—"

"Carlos," Jay said sharply at the same time Evie said, " _What_."

"—allowed Jay to shove him against a tree—"

" _Carlos_ ," Jay said again, face paling as he looked at Mal, when he saw her raised eyebrow.

"—used underhanded tactics to get his proclamation how he wanted and out to public, complimented both Jane and Lonnie on their new hairstyles when he knew full well that they were done by magic—"

"How do you know that?" Mal asked, curious. She didn't recall that happening, but then again, she couldn't be with Carlos at all times.

Carlos shrugged. "I was walking back to the dorm after classes ended one day and overheard their conversation. His exact words were, _Mal does really nice work_."

It took a lot of effort for Mal not to purse her lips.

"Anything else, mister people watcher?" Evie said, somewhat amused, but a crease had begun to form on her brow.

Frowning, Carlos tilted his head in consideration. "Well. He didn't seem to mind your designs for the Halloween Ball." He looked at them all. "Whispers around the ballroom weren't exactly _approving_. Uh, particularly about Evie and Jay..."

Narrowing her eyes, Mal felt her anger boil as she noticed Jay flinch as he closed his eyes, as she noticed Evie pale as she trembled slightly, and Mal's dream, _their_ dreams, came rushing back into her mind. She cursed her self imposed rule of keeping a low profile, or else she'd find every single person who spoke against Evie and Jay.

"But Ben seemed genuine in his praise," Carlos continued, licking his lips as he nervously glanced between Mal and Evie and Jay. "I didn't see any judgment from him, and, I mean, you two _were_ the only ones he danced with, so..." Carlos shrugged.

Mal watched Jay pale, watched him swallow audibly, and he glanced at Evie, an almost pleading look to his face.

"We might have been the only ones he danced with, but we weren't the only ones he had eyes for," Evie said.

"Meaning," Mal prompted, even though she was quite certain she knew what Evie meant.

"Meaning he might have danced with them, but he really wanted to dance with someone else," Carlos ventured, nervous yet determined. "Someone who declined."

Jaw flexing, Mal narrowed her eyes. "Carlos..."

"Mal," Evie said, redirecting Mal's attention for the moment, "he asked you to dance the first dance with him."

"He was going to ask us all for a dance," Mal argued, remembering Jane's words, knowing that they remembered them, too.

Evie shook her head. "But he asked you for the _first_. That's traditionally reserved for an intended." She gave Mal a pointed look. "Royalty usually share the first dance with their betrothed, or with the one they _want_ as a betrothal."

Fuck everything, she thought as she stood up, unable to deal with the conversation despite the fact that they needed to have it. "Get dressed," she said instead of facing Evie's accusation, and she moved to the window, watching what few passers-by walk along the paths.

"Shouldn't we be in class?" Jay asked, absentminded as he fished for a pair of pants. The clock did read quarter until nine.

"The school's given the day after Halloween off," Evie said as she joined him, picking up the nest as well.

"Thank fuck," was all Jay said, tossing a shirt at her.

Carlos, who already had put on loose shorts and a long sleeve shirt too big for him, sat down at the table and opened his laptop, a small frown to his face.

"How'd you get dressed so fast?" Mal asked, moving to the table as well. When Carlos got in front of that machine, his tongue usually loosened, and his words were usually honest, nearly viciously so.

" _I_ know where my clothing is," Carlos said as he began typing away.

Mal snorted when Jay half-heartedly flipped him off in his search for pants, not even flinching when Evie slapped his ass as she made her way to the table. She was clad only in the shirt Jay had given her, it pooling around her thighs as she sat down next to Mal.

She didn't even bother to check her appearance in her magic mirror.

Remembering what occurred last night only made Mal angry.

"Will there be another ball for the coronation?" Jay asked, finally pulling on a pair of sweats. "Because I don't think I want to attend," he said as he walked to the table, sitting opposite of Mal.

There was a pinch to his expression, but Mal didn't comment on it; she knew enough from sharing his dream that Jay had actually enjoyed the ball.

Just another secret they shared.

"You won't have to," Evie said, letting out a small sigh. "Balls are held afterward, so if all goes according to plan, we'll be gone." And she stared at the table, no doubt daydreaming of a proper ball, one that even the memory of their parents couldn't interrupt.

"Which brings us back to the topic of conversation," Carlos said, focus intent on his screen.

Mal idly wondered if he were really interested in whatever he saw, or if he were using it to smokescreen his nervousness.

Evie perked up slightly. "It wouldn't be so bad to have Ben under a spell. He's so pretty." Her Dreamy Gaze settled over her features, causing Jay to snort. Chuckling, Evie took his hand, kissing his knuckles. "Not as pretty as you, don't worry." She winked at Jay.

Jay grinned. "You flatter," he teased, but Mal could tell his grin was genuine, that he appreciated Evie's words. "But Ben is pretty," he continued, amused. "Too clean, too trusting, but pretty."

Watching as _both_ Evie and Jay sighed, Mal scrunched up her nose. "He does a weird thing with his face." Maybe Mal could see Ben's prettiness, but there was still something that threw her off whenever she looked at him, whenever he looked at her.

"Yeah, it's called smiling," Carlos mumbled, ducking behind his screen when Mal threw an eraser at his head.

"Not what I meant, smartass," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Grinning, Jay shrugged. "I don't know, Mal, I think the way he smiles is weird." And though his words were teasing, there was a slight twitch to his mouth, to his brow, and Mal couldn't help but remember how he looked as he danced with Ben, remember how Jay had relaxed and allowed himself to be vulnerable in Ben's arms.

She remembered how Jay hadn't taken his eyes off of Ben's face.

Evie let out an amused huff. "I think Mal means it's weird how he looks at us differently than the way he looks at others." A sly grin graced her lips. "Specifically, Mal thinks it's weird how he looks at her."

Narrowing her eyes, Mal crossed her arms. "Don't even go there," she warned. Of course Evie would notice, she thought, trying not to be petulant. Evie had a talent for noticing things Mal would rather keep hidden.

Interest piqued, Jay sat up. "So you're saying the good prince wants to fuck Mal?" He grinned, no doubt trying to imagine the scenario.

"I didn't see _that_ ," Carlos said absently, more focused on his screen.

Evie rolled her eyes. "I don't know about fucking, per se, but he definitely wants to be with her, hence him asking her for the first dance." She sighed again, her Dreamy Gaze slipping onto her features.

I've had enough of this, she thought, leaning back in her chair. "He hangs around Carlos a lot," Mal said, despite knowing that getting _Carlos_ to act smitten would require something short of a blood sacrifice, but she was desperate.

"Whoa, what," Carlos said, blinking at Mal, computer forgotten. "I am not giving him the love spell. Let Jay do it."

"What," Jay said flatly. "In what universe would that work?"

"This universe," Carlos said, matter-of-fact. "He doesn't shut up about you when we practice." He rolled his eyes.

Licking his lips, Jay shrugged. "Doesn't mean a thing. Let Evie do it," he said, unamused and possibly a little desperate himself.

"I'd definitely do it," Evie said with another dreamy sigh, "but I think it has to be Mal."

Wrinkling her nose, Mal crossed her arms. "Why does it have to be me?"

Casting a _look_ at Mal, Evie held up her mirror. "Magic mirror, who is Ben more interested in out those within this room?" A smile crossed her face as she turned the mirror's face to Mal, letting Mal see her own image in the glass.

Frowning as Jay and Carlos snickered, Mal huffed. "That doesn't mean anything. It's a love _spell_ , hello."

"Mal," Evie began with another sigh and a shake of her head, "you're the only one who'll keep a clear head with this."

Mal blinked. "What." What a weak excuse, she thought, resolutely ignoring the little voice in her head whispering, _your head definitely won't be clear._

"It's true! I know I wouldn't let him out of my sight," Evie argued, "and Jay and Carlos would probably get distracted with him to do much."

"Hey," Jay began, obviously uneasy as he glanced at Mal.

As if she didn't already know.

Evie huffed, settling him with a look. "So you're telling me you don't think about his mouth?"

Jay remained silent for a few seconds, his shoulders tense. Then, he sighed. "You're annoying," he said, no heat to his words. He seemed resigned, but he offered Evie a smile when she placed her hand on top of his, patting it gently.

"You can keep a clearer head than I can," Mal said to Carlos, ignoring the other two's display, ignoring the way it caused her chest to tighten. "I've seen you under pressure," she added when he opened his mouth.

Swallowing, Carlos shook his head. "Mal... It's more than being able to keep a clear head. The one closest to Ben at the coronation would be the one to take the wand." He licked his lips. "We don't have any way to know how that'll go down, so why not have the strongest magic wielder there?" He glanced quickly at the others, apologizing to both Jay and Evie, as if he had just insulted their capabilities.

But they didn't look offended. They looked as if Carlos made sense, and Mal inwardly cursed. So what if she moved things too easily with her magic? So what if she was able to leave enchantments on both of their doors yet concentrate on other things? So what if she had calmed Jay's own magic, had heightened Evie's own?

None of that necessarily made her the strongest. It only meant that she was the most comfortable wielding it.

Still, Mal hated Carlos' logic, and she hated even more her response to it. "Jay," she said calmly, quietly, knowing what a low blow it was to ask this of him, but she couldn't _not_.

Jay's power had been calmed, yes, but it was still there, and who knew what strength he had lying dormant within him.

As she predicted, Jay paled. "Mal, no," he said, voice going _hoarse_. "You can't — you can't ask me—" He sucked in a breath, cutting himself off, genuine fear in his eyes at the thought of being so close to something so magical, so powerful.

Evie, alarmed, took hold of Jay's hand with both of hers, her wide eyes flickering from Jay's gutted bearing to Mal and back, and Carlos sat straight, too rigid as he watched the scene, his computer forgotten.

"Okay," Mal said, his expression stabbing her in the gut and _twisting_. "Okay, fine, you don't have to do it." And though she disliked the thought of being the one bound to Ben, she hated that expression on Jay's face more.

There was a distinct pause in the room before Jay let out a breath, and with it, they all relaxed some.

"Mal..." Evie ventured, still holding Jay's hand. "Why are you fighting this so hard?" Her question was laced with concern, and her grip on Jay's hand tightened as she looked at Mal, confusion and worry on her brow.

Jay's wounded looked faded slightly, but he still hunched over, still shaken as he awaited her answer, and Carlos swallowed, brow creased, no doubt confused, possibly even frustrated, that she _was_ fighting so hard.

Mal stared at them, not liking the corner she was backed into, not liking how they wanted her to admit that she felt a pull toward Ben, felt a pull toward him the same way she had felt it toward them, and her anger and frustration threatened to boil over with the thought of _confessing_ to them, to the ones she claimed and vowed to protect, that her stupid _emotions_ were bound to get them all killed.

But Mal told herself to keep a level head, to weigh the options. If they didn't use the spell, if they didn't take the wand at the coronation, they had no way of knowing how long they'd have to wait for another opportunity to present itself. If she weren't the one acting as object of desire at the coronation, the wand might repel the others; she could admit to herself that her power was greater than the others' — though, a case could be made for Jay, as he hadn't tapped into his full potential, not by a long shot, but if Jay touched the wand, that magic could be too intoxicating for him.

And another concerning factor in her decision was the dream — the nightmare, the vision — Mal had earlier. The longer they put off getting the wand, the longer their parents waited, and their parents weren't patient creatures. Mal didn't like not knowing what they were doing, how they were thinking, and she didn't know how Maleficent could pull off her threat of revealing their secrets to Auradon, but Mal had no doubt that Maleficent _would_ follow through with her word. And Mal had no intention in letting that dream come to pass.

If the option was between her uneasy feelings about Ben and the very lives of those she claimed, Mal would choose life for the ones she claimed.

"Okay, fine," she said, resolve forming in her gut, overpowering the uneasiness already dwelling there. "When can the spell be ready?" she asked instead of addressing how they all sagged with relief.

Evie sat a little straighter, a smile forming on her lips. "It can be done tomorrow night."

"So soon?" Jay asked, frowning, pulling his arms in to loosely wrap them around himself.

"I have most of the ingredients already, but it requires petals from a flower that only blooms at night." She paused, biting her lip. "And another ingredient that could potentially be problematic, but I'm sure it'll be fine!"

She smiled wide, so Mal decided not to mention the problematic ingredient.

"Okay, so do we just... go up to Ben and sprinkle something on him and boom?" Carlos asked, nose scrunching up, skeptical.

"Well," Evie began, glancing at Mal, "it can typically be put into anything you want. Mother had a preference for using food or drink, and I can see her reasoning."

"So we make something he likes to eat?" Jay asked, brow creasing. "How the fuck do we decide on what?"

"Cookies," Carlos said. He blinked when they all stared at him. "What? Most of the things he ate during Halloween were cookies."

I'll never understand why you refuse to play this role, Mal thought as she looked at Carlos, torn between amused and exasperated. "Fine, cookies, whatever. Next part is how do we get him to eat it?"

"Well," Jay began, uncertain, "there's the championship tourney game friday. Maybe present it as a good luck thing?" He made a face. "Auradonians do that kind of shit, right?"

Giggling, Evie nodded. "Absolutely. That seems perfect, Jay!" She glanced at them all. "Now, we can use one of the kitchens in the dorm. We shouldn't run into anyone, given the curfew."

"You want to do it during curfew?" Carlos asked, brow creased. "Don't think that'll work, given that perimeter checks are a thing, and the last thing we need is someone discovering we're trying to do _magic_."

"We'll do it close to curfew. Late night snack and whatnot," Evie said with a shrug. "It'll be early enough not to draw any attention, but late enough that no one should come sniffing around."

"Okay," Jay said as he leaned back, stretching, "so Mal will have to say some mumbo jumbo as she makes it?"

"Well, if she wants," Evie said diplomatically, smiling at Mal. "If not, I can do it. Oh!" She sat up, abrupt and excited. "How about you help, Jay?"

"What," Jay said flatly.

"It'll be fine! A controlled environment to practice your magic is just what you need," she reasoned.

"What part of me not touching magic was unclear?" Jay asked, deadpan.

"Jay," Evie said, weighing her words, but she huffed and continued, "Jay, you reek of magic."

Jay gave a sharp look to Mal.

She held her hands up. "I said I'd help focus it, not suppress it." Despite the truth of her words, Mal couldn't help but feel slightly gutted at Jay's expression. She sighed. "Evie may be onto something," she said gently, trying not to wince when his expression crumbled further. "If you don't want it to interfere with anything, you might have to control it."

Jay held her gaze for a long moment before blowing his breath out. "Fine," he mumbled, eyes downcast. "I'll do it."

His tone made Mal's chest tighten, and she glanced at Evie, saw the worry on her face, and watched as Evie reached for Jay.

"Don't worry, Jay," Evie said softly. "I'm a great tutor, and I wouldn't steer you wrong."

"I'm so glad I don't have to worry about that shit," Carlos muttered. He blinked when they all stared at him. "Oh. Did I say that out loud?"

Surprisingly, Jay snorted. "At least someone's carefree," he said, leaning into Evie's touch. He ran a hand through his hair, breathing in deep. "So, why wait until tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I was just about to ask that," Carlos said as he regarded Evie. "Does the flower not bloom tonight or something?"

Eyes downcast, Evie shook her head, a wry smile on her lips. "I didn't want to go out today, actually," she admitted, making Mal frown and swear vengeance on Chad and the rest of them all the more. "But now that we've decided to spell Ben before the tourney game, holding off actually works better."

Carlos scrunched up his face. "Why is that?"

"Spells have more power the sooner you enact them," Evie stated simply. "It'll be more potent brewing it tomorrow night to give to him Friday afternoon."

Sighing, Carlos shrugged, returning to his laptop.

Mal watched him, watched them all. Jay said nothing, lost in his own thoughts even as he leaned into Evie, and Evie hummed quietly, softly, as she gently ran her fingers through his hair, her gaze flickering over to Carlos every now and then. Carlos, who made no attempt to move from his laptop, who frowned and mumbled at whatever he saw.

Mal watched them and, for the first time, felt numb. If they couldn't pull off the love spell, if she couldn't keep her head and her heart, there would be no hope of them completing Maleficent's task.

And that meant there would be no hope of Mal saving them from their parents' wrath.

In three day's time, she thought, trying not to think about meeting Ben, about spelling him and spending time with him.

Two midnights to come, she thought, and she steeled herself.

Just two midnights. 

———

"This is so fucking stupid," Jay muttered, arms wrapped around himself as he watched Evie fret with the table.

He didn't know how he was talked into this — a lie, the little voice in his head whispered to him, you know how: controlling the magic makes you less of a threat, less of a nuisance, to the group — and he grew more nervous as he watched Evie place several pouches on the table's surface.

"You've been muttering that all day," Carlos said on a sigh, hauling himself up on the counter, intent to watch the show.

We haven't seen each other much all day, Jay thought, mood souring further just remembering his classes; he'd never wanted to be invisible in all his life, yet he had to actively concentrate to stay _solid_ or he was sure his magic would have carried out his wishes.

It was bad enough to know people were staring at you and whispering, but it was worse to make sure they could actually see you; it went against the survival skills he learned on the island.

He was just grateful that he hadn't seen Chad or Audrey at all that day; who knew how he would have reacted, what he would have done.

"Jay," Mal said, breaking his thoughts, and she studied him, "you need to relax. Everything will be fine."

"Everything will be fine," he recited, and for a moment, all he could see was a palace throne room, vast and open and so bright, and a room with warm colors and filled with toys and knick-knacks. He blinked. What the fuck, he thought as he rubbed his eyes. Maybe Mal's right; I'm stressing so much I'm losing my mind, he thought, and he took a deep breath, holding it a few seconds before releasing it.

He glanced at Mal, blinking at her when he found her raised eyebrow.

"E," Mal said, her gaze slowly leaving Jay to focus on Evie. "Everything all set?"

"Well, I've gathered everything I could..." she began, her voice trailing as she lay everything out on the table, arranging them in some sort of sequence.

Fuck if Jay understood.

"But the problematic ingredient," Carlos finished, a frown on his face.

"But the problematic ingredient," Evie confirmed, and she sighed. "This spell requires one tear of human sadness."

Mal sneered.

Rummaging through a few baskets by his side, Carlos said, "Let's just chop up some onions."

Evie, who'd begun shaking her head before Carlos even stopped speaking, let out a small huff. "That won't do. While they both have antibodies and enzymes, an emotional tear has more protein-based hormones than a reflex tear."

"Impressive," Mal purred, smirking when Evie blushed.

"Hence the problematic nature of this ingredient," Jay said, leaning against the counter; he didn't get what the big deal was, but if Evie said it needed to be a certain thing, then he trusted her.

Still, the news didn't calm his nerves. He didn't recall ever crying because of _sadness_.

"Even if I did cry," Mal said, partly amused, "I don't think my tears would satisfy the requirement."

Jay blinked. Most of the time, he forgot that Mal was only _half_ human.

"I don't really cry," Carlos said, blinking at them all. "Not from sadness, anyway. Tears usually happened because I couldn't keep in all the pain." He shrugged.

"Or the shame," Evie said, looking pensive. "None of those would do, though." She frowned, gripping her own chin in thought. "How do we make ourselves sad enough to shed a tear?" she asked quietly, mostly to herself.

"Can you make yourself sad?" Carlos asked, brow furrowed. "What _is_ sadness, for that matter?"

"You're asking Mal on advice about emotions?" Jay asked, deadpan. He huffed when Mal kicked him lightly.

"Funny," she said with a roll of her eyes. Then she shrugged. "Though, he does have a point. Who the fuck decided that emotions were a thing?"

Jay couldn't help but grin at her annoyance.

"Guess we'll deal with that when we get there," Evie said, a little too brightly, and she began gathering other kind of ingredients. "Now, Jay, help me bake the cookies."

"Why me?" he asked, surprised. "Thought I was practicing magic, not cooking skills." Not that he actually wanted to do the magic, but still.

"Mal doesn't bake, and Carlos doesn't bake well," Evie said flatly.

"Hey," Carlos said, hands on his hips.

"Well, you don't," Evie said decidedly.

"Settle down," Mal said, the corner of her mouth twitching upward.

"I've never baked," Jay said as he let Evie pull him to the table.

"It'll be fine. You need to calm down anyway," she said as she kissed his cheek, quieting his grumbling. "Besides, I just need your assistance." She batted her lashes at him, her bottom lip jutted out just the tiniest fraction.

Rolling his eyes, Jay nodded; he couldn't stand Evie's pout. "Okay, okay, what do you need?"

Evie's brilliant smile was his answer, and as she began following the recipe for the cookies, Jay ignored the warmth in his belly, and he ignored the approving look Mal had as she watched them work.

And for a moment, Jay felt at peace as he followed Evie's instructions, idly paying attention to Mal and Carlos' conversation in the background. He didn't want it to end.

The door opened, causing them to freeze.

In came Lonnie, expression curious, and a smile spread across her lips when she noticed them. "I thought I heard someone in here! This is perfect; I was just looking for you guys. What are you guys gonna wear to the game tomorrow?" She looked at Mal, excitement clearly on her features. "Do you think you can whip up something unique as a hairstyle?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Jay noticed Evie cover her mother's spell book with a towel.

"Lonnie," Mal began, scooting to the edge of the counter, clearly intent to make her go away.

But a squeal from Lonnie caught their attention, and she peered into the bowl. "Late night snack? What's on the menu?" she asked as she immediately dipped her finger into its contents for a taste.

"Hey," Jay said automatically, wincing slightly. The last thing they needed was to bring any attention to the ingredients on the table. Quietly, he cleared his throat. "Go taste testing everyone's cookies?"

Lonnie raised her eyebrow. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna double dip."

Whatever that means, he thought, moving closer to Evie. Her bearing comforted him; judging by her relaxed posture and even breathing, Jay figured Evie didn't see Lonnie as a threat to their plan.

Makes sense, as we haven't actually made the spell yet, he thought as he watched Lonnie tilt her head in consideration.

"It feels like it's missing something, though," Lonnie continued, eying the bowl critically. "Maybe add chips."

"Chips?" Evie said, wrinkling her nose, glancing at Jay.

"You know, chocolate chips," Lonnie said as she moved to the cooler. "Delicious, and apparently the favorite among the royalties. Not that they beat my mom's double boiled pears." She made a face. "For some reason, people here don't care for that kind of treat."

Jay had no idea what she was talking about, and a glance at the others told him he wasn't alone.

"Double what?" Carlos asked, blinking at her.

Lonnie chuckled. "Double boiled pears. My mom used to make it all the time for me when I was little. She said it'd keep me healthy and strong, and it was just delicious!" Lonnie smiled softly, more soft than he'd ever seen her, as she sprinkled the chocolate chips into the bowl. "Whenever I felt sad or down, she'd used to make them so I'd cheer up. My dad used to sigh, said my mom was spoiling me by making them so much, but he'd be smiling at us." Lonnie laughed, quiet and soft just like her smile. "It'd be so warm and fresh, and she'd make me laugh and put everything into perspective, and I'd forget why I was even sad to begin with. You know?"

Though there was a secretive edge to her smile, it was still soft, so soft and gentle and warm as it reached her eyes, and Lonnie seemed so open as she looked at them.

For some reason, Jay's chest hurt, like he couldn't really breathe despite his lungs working perfectly. He swallowed, but that too was a chore; his throat seemed too tight, too dry. It hurt to look at Lonnie's face, but Jay couldn't tear his eyes away. Even though it felt like something inside him was breaking.

Lonnie blinked, and she glanced at each of them. "Why are you all staring at me like that?" she asked, clearly puzzled.

After a few seconds of silence, it was Mal who answered her.

"We... don't really know what you're talking about." Mal's tone was as nonchalant as she could make it, but it was still off.

Jay glanced down, refusing to look at her, to see what kind of expression was on Mal's face, to see what kind of expression was on any of there faces, and he definitely didn't want to look at Lonnie at the moment.

"Oh... Oh, well, I mean, I guess I just thought, you know, even villains love their kids, right?"

And Jay looked at her, glanced up and just stared, that something inside him shattering, at Lonnie's question, at the growing realization on her face. Slowly, detached, he glanced at Evie, and it both surprised him and didn't to find Evie looking like he felt, looking worse.

Chancing it, Jay glanced at Mal and Carlos, and he regretted it exactly like he thought he would. The both of them usually held a poker face better than he could, yet now they only looked lost. They looked like children.

Lonnie muttered something in another language — probably, Jay wasn't too sure he could comprehend anything right then — and she reached for his and Evie's hands. "I'm so sorry..." she said, gazing at them like she meant it, like she herself could take away any shitty feeling within them, and a tear or two escaped her eyes.

And then, just like that, the tears were gone.

Lonnie blinked, her hand coming up to her cheek in confusion.

"Okay," Mal said loudly, snapping everyone out of whatever weird spell had settled over them, "thanks for coming by, but we need to get these in the oven, so yeah." She guided Lonnie to the door with a little more force than necessary.

Still blinking, Lonnie nodded. "Okay, see tomorrow, guys!" she said, waving as she was pushed to the door, a slight crease to her brow.

"Bye," Evie murmured even though Lonnie had already stepped out. She raised an eyebrow at Mal when she returned to her spot by the counter. "Care to explain?"

Smirking, Mal held up her hand, twirling it to show the tears Lonnie had shed hovering over her palm. "Tears of human sadness, the last ingredient." She reached for an empty vial, letting the tears flow into the glass.

"Brilliant," Evie said, a grin forming on her lips as she took the vial from Mal's hand. "Carlos, get the cookies in the oven while we concoct the real treat." She gave him a wink, grinning wider as Carlos rolled his eyes but did as he was told.

Jay licked his lips as he watched Carlos shape and spread the cookies out on the tray, his nerves bubbling within his gut, and he shuffled from one foot to the other.

"Mal, for the first ingredient, I'll need you to sing," Evie said as she prepared another bowl, this time setting it atop a bunsen burner — something that puzzled Jay.

Though, not as much as Evie's instruction to Mal did.

Mal blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You can hum, if you prefer," Evie said cautiously. "It's a requirement, Mal, especially since you're the object of desire." It was slight, but her bottom lip jutted out in a pout.

Rolling her eyes, Mal nodded.

Smile returning to its brilliance, Evie turned to Jay. "Can you open that window for me?" she asked, nodding to the window opposite the table, and she angled the bowl and the ingredients so that they were centered around the moonlight drifting in from the window.

Eyebrow raised, Jay did as told, wondering what would happen, wondering how Evie knew what to do so absolutely.

Once that task was done, Jay stood next to Evie by her command, taking position at her right, and he glanced at Carlos sitting on the counter, brow furrowed as he studied, and at Mal leaning against the counter, her eyes gleaming even as her expression remained neutral.

" _Now_ ," Evie began, gently opening her arms over the table, and as she did, the atmosphere in the room changed, " _a formula to transform simple interest into a consuming infatuation_." She poured water into the bowl, waving her left hand over it once the water settled. " _Arouse the First Sight's Love_." She turned on the burner, letting the water warm but not quite boil, and she glanced at Mal. " _A faint strain of music to intrigue the target_."

Mal leaned in, humming a faint tune as Evie moved her hands, as if she could see the musical notes, as if she could guide them into the bowl. Mal stopped when Evie nodded.

" _To infect with affection, the moonflower's grace_." Evie picked up a white flower and let it fall into the bowl, and Jay's eyes widened as it dissolved.

He glanced at Carlos, glad to know he wasn't the only one enthralled.

" _To add heat, the blush of an orange rose_." Evie sprinkled orange rose petals into the bowl, and those, too, dissolved. " _To blind the eye from all else, the darkness of hidden space_."

Confused, Jay watched as Evie picked up a vial, its contents so black that it was difficult to see as she let a few drops fall into the bowl. 

Evie picked up the vial with the tears. " _A single tear of human sadness to bind feelings to reality_." She let one drop fall from the vial's rim. Once done and the vial securely placed on the table, Evie opened her arms. " _A thunderbolt to mix it well_!"

Jay nearly jumped when lightning flashed as a crash of thunder sounded, and he stared wide-eyed at Evie, marveling at her power.

Serene and confident, Evie said, " _Now, awaken thy magic spell_." She flexed her hands over the bowl, looking at its contents with half-lidded eyes, and the bowl began to glow as the room's lighting dimmed.

Suppressing a shiver, Jay closed his eyes as the air danced around him, as magic flowed steadily as it swirled into a compact ball, settling where Jay knew the bowl rested. He opened his eyes when the static in the air no longer grazed his skin.

The bowl's glow faded, and the lighting in the room returned to normal.

"Okay," Evie said, a pleased smile on her lips as she glanced at him. "Jay, you're up."

"What," he said flatly.

"We need to make sure this enchantment can't be seen by other magic wielders, or else our task will be blown," she said, a soft smile on her face. "I don't have a spell for that."

"And you think I do?" he asked incredulously. What was with her all of a sudden?

"I've seen how you and Mal do magic," Evie said, as if that cleared anything up. When he said nothing, she rolled her eyes. "My magic requires words, yours doesn't. _Yours_ is based on feeling, on desire, on will."

Jay swallowed, glancing at Mal and Carlos, and he tried to keep the growing fear from his face.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Jay," Mal said, softer than she usually spoke.

"It is if I can't control it," he said, feeling a frown on his face and unable to do anything about it. "How do we even know I won't fuck it up?"

"My spell won't fade," Evie said, definitive. "And you won't fuck anything up if you believe in yourself!"

"It can't be that simple," Jay argued.

"Mal," Evie said as she turned to Mal, "when you perform magic, whether it's through reading words or just letting things happen, do you believe your spells will work?"

"Of course," Mal answered, point blank and matter-of-fact.

Evie turned to Jay, trying to get him to see. "And so do I. It's the belief that makes them strong, that makes them stick."

Jay remained quiet, reluctant, uncertain.

"Jay," Carlos said, hesitant and obviously out of his depth, "remember what you told me when you first started teaching me how to spar?"

Brow creased, Jay gave Carlos a slow nod even as his stomach fluttered. "But that was—"

"You're stronger than you think, Jay," Carlos said a little louder, stare intent, tone firm, and Jay was almost mad at Carlos for throwing his own words back at him.

"C'mon, Jay," Mal said, "you've been making things appear in your hand since we got here. We all know you can do it."

"We all believe in you, Jay," Evie said, and she reached for his hands, holding his gaze as she moved them, letting them hover over the bowl. "So believe in yourself, too." She squeezed his hands before letting them go. "You don't even have to say anything. Just think it, just will it."

Swallowing again, Jay's gaze moved from Evie to the bowl in front of him, his hands still hovering over the completed spell. He felt ridiculous, but the embarrassment he thought he would experience wasn't there.

Instead of feeling the weight of their eyes, of their judgment, Jay merely felt the warmth of their presence, of their _faith_ , and he closed his eyes. Protect them, he thought as he concentrated, Protect them and let this spell go unnoticed by any magic wielder at this school; keep them safe and hide our plan.

He wanted nothing more than to protect them, to be able to keep them safe.

Something flickered through the air, something coarse at first, turning pleasant by the second, something that encircled his being and weaved through his fingers, and Jay snapped his eyes open as he felt it move and settle into the bowl. As steady as he could, he lowered his hands.

"Well done," Mal murmured the same time Evie said, "Thank you, Jay."

Jay found himself turning to Carlos.

Shrugging, Carlos grinned. "I have no idea what happened, but apparently the girls liked it."

A sigh escaped him, and Jay's shoulders sagged with relief. Nothing bad happened.

Evie moved close, leaned in to kiss his cheek as she guided him away from the table. "And now," she said, "to infuse the cookie with the spell." She turned to Carlos. "Bring the tray, please."

Carlos hopped off the counter and moved to the oven. After checking, he opened it and pulled out the tray.

Evie took out a needle and thread from her makeup box, stuck the cookie through near its edge, and held it up by the string. " _Dip the cookie in the brew. Let the First Sight's Love seep through_." Evie recited the words as if they had been meant for her, and she dipped the cookie into the bowl with ease, cool and confident.

Jay never admired her more than he did right then.

" _Look, on its surface, the symbol of its true purpose_ ," Evie said, a smile on her face as she pulled the cookie out, showing them how the spell made a heart breaking in two before it seeped into the dessert. " _Golden brown and perfectly sweet, made warm and fresh to tempt Ben to eat_."

Jay watched Evie with awe, a shiver gently passing through him as he felt her magic settle and quiet.

Evie turned to them. "Well, how was that?"

"I think I wanna eat you out," Jay said automatically.

Giggling, Evie leaned in to give him a kiss. "You sweet talker."

"What do we do with the rest of the potion?" Carlos asked, eying the bowl warily.

"Bottle some," Mal said as she jumped off of the counter, her hand on her hip as she studied the bowl, pensive. "Then destroy the rest. Letting that loose wouldn't be ideal."

"Why do you want to bottle some?" Jay asked as Evie retrieved two vials.

"You never know when we might need it again," was all Mal said. "Give me the cookie. We don't want that mixing with the others."

Jay reached for the cookie, stunned that he felt nothing from it, not even a trace of magic. "Are we sure that it worked?"

"Don't look at me," Carlos said, amused as he stole an untainted cookie.

"It is a little unsettling," Evie admitted as she carefully bottled some of the potion. "I mean, I can't sense a _thing_ from this."

Mal didn't say anything, but she did glance at Jay, the corners of her mouth quirked upward just a bit, and her expression could almost be called approving.

Jay resolutely ignored the flutter that caused to his stomach. He cleared his throat. "Did we have to make a whole batch of cookies just to use one for the spell?"

"Of course," Evie said with a grin, "how else could I reward your participation?" She kissed his cheek again. "You and Carlos can eat the rest." With a wink, Evie began packing up the leftover ingredients, taking care in how she handled each item, especially the two bottles of the love spell.

Carlos, once given the allowance, began to eat the cookies at his leisure, munching on the dessert as he swung his legs, looking like an actual kid.

It made Jay smile, and he silently thanked Evie for her brilliance as he swiped a cookie from the tray, smirking when Carlos scrunched up his nose at him. 

"That wasn't so painful, was it?" Mal asked him as she stole the cookie from his hand, not looking at him yet focused entirely on him.

Jay had always marveled at how she could pull that off. "Not _so_ painful," he conceded, picking up another cookie. After all, it could have gone a lot worse.

A trace of a smile appeared on Mal's lips, but it vanished as she turned to Evie. "E, is there any chance this spell could break?"

Evie paused, frozen and sheepish, and she gave a tiny nod. "There's usually always an antidote," she said with a sigh, packing up the last ingredient. "The book says that an imitation is no match for genuine lips."

Carlos made a face. "The hell does that mean?"

"A kiss," Jay said, realization dawning on him. "So if Audrey kisses him, the spell will break?"

"If she's his genuine love, yes," Evie confirmed, glancing at Mal.

"Well," Mal said after a moment of silence. "We'll just have to keep the good king away from the priss princess." She took a bite of the cookie, a grin slowly forming on her lips.

And Jay couldn't help but grin as well; he was probably looking forward to humiliating Audrey as much as Mal was.

"I can't wait to see her face," Evie said, her smirk wicked. "I can't wait to see her face when she realizes that Ben left her for Mal."

Huffing in amusement, Mal nodded. "I must admit that's the only thing I'm looking forward to about this whole thing." She sobered a little. "But we have to keep things low profile. Wouldn't want anyone snooping around."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Evie said as she draped her arms around Jay's neck. "His magic concealed our plot rather well."

Jay could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks at Evie's praise, at her approving expression. "Only time will tell," he mumbled.

"Not really," Carlos said, absently shoving the second half of a cookie into his mouth.

"Come again, my little aloof genius?" Mal said, amused when Carlos startled. "You really need to stop thinking aloud."

"I only do it near you guys," Carlos mumbled, embarrassed.

Evie giggled, resting her head on Jay's shoulders. "We're honored. Now spill."

Rolling his eyes, Carlos shrugged. "You're new to the whole thing, right? So you feel everything ten times worse. The way you looked when we first arrived on the mainland. Hell, the way you guys reacted when I broke through the barrier. It was like you guys were drunk or something. I couldn't feel it—"

"Liar," Evie sing-songed, causing Jay to snort.

"I couldn't feel it," Carlos said again, firmer, "but I could feel the change in _you_." He stared at them, causing Jay to feel like he was one of Carlos' little science projects. "Your behavior, your attitude, even your expression. You feel everything ten times worse, and it affects you." His gaze flickered to Jay for a brief moment.

Jay swallowed.

"And you're telling us this because..." Mal prompted.

"I'm telling you this because I don't think anyone will notice the love spell," Carlos said, "not if you three can't sense it."

"It could be wishful thinking on our part," Jay argued, a little unnerved by Carlos' unwavering belief.

Carlos shrugged. "When Mal mentioned the fact that Audrey was spelled, did any of you look at Jane?"

Blinking, Jay looked at the girls, but they shook their head. "You were?" It shouldn't surprise him, considering Carlos could be the best and stealthiest people watcher around, but for some reason, Jay just didn't think he would look at Jane.

But Carlos nodded. "She was shocked. She was even a little afraid."

"I don't remember that," Jay said. "She was fine when she asked Mal how she knew."

"You can't control your initial reactions, those initial seconds where your brain has to process the information." Carlos paused. "Though, I think Jane's more adept at hiding things than I've given her credit for."

Evie hummed. "That's big, coming from you."

"Back up," Mal said, "you're basing whether or not anyone will notice the spell on Jane's reaction?" She raised an eyebrow, wary. "On one reaction at a ball?"

"Yes," Carlos said emphatically. "She reacted to the fact that you could sense the spell on Audrey, which means _usually_ it can't be sensed."

"Then how would she know?" Jay asked. "Are you saying Jane is powerful enough?"

"You tell me," Carlos said, unfazed. "You're the ones who can sense other magic users."

"I sense _something_ , but I don't really know." Jay huffed in frustration. "All I know is that it's different from Mal and Evie."

"It's almost faint, like a little nagging feeling that won't go away," Evie said, nodding, eyes on the floor in thought.

"I sense something, too, and it is different," Mal said. "But—" She stopped, her eyes cutting across to the door.

The door opened, and none other than Jane walked through. She startled when she realized she wasn't alone.

"G-good evening," she said, brow creased, clearly nervous.

Though, the more Jay looked at her, the more he realized her nervousness stemmed from the awkwardness of seeing them for the first time since the ball. They hadn't eaten outside today, after all.

(They hadn't eaten anything today. A first since arriving in Auradon. None of them said anything. But it reminded them of being back on the island. And none of them said anything to the fact that it made them _calmer_.)

"Same to you," Evie said pleasantly, apparently not caring about Jane's hesitancy — that or she was pushing past it. "What brings you here?"

"I, um, feed the mice," she mumbled, her cheeks flushing.

"That's adorable," Evie cooed, just a little teasing in her tone, but she smiled genuinely when Jane turned redder.

"Jane," Carlos said, surprising everyone in the room, "was it supposed to be a secret that Audrey was spelled?"

"Carlos," Mal said quietly, nearly staring him down, but Carlos' attention was fully focused on Jane.

Blinking, no doubt confused, Jane nodded.

"Then how did you know?" Carlos asked.

Turning sheepish, Jane averted her eyes. "I might have been eavesdropping when Merryweather asked my mother for permission."

"Permission?" Evie echoed, intrigue on her features as she shared a glance with Jay.

Jane swallowed. "Y-yeah..."

"Eavesdropped," Mal said, eyebrow raised. "How old were you when Audrey was enchanted?"

"Around six, I think," Jane answered.

"Why did she wait so long to perform the spell?" Mal asked, brow creased.

Shrugging, Jane shook her head. "I didn't hear that part. I only heard Merryweather wanting it to be a secret."

Carlos frowned. "How could it be a secret if magic wielders can sense magic?"

Brow creasing as she tilted her head, Jane stared at Carlos. "Who told you that?"

"So that isn't a correct statement?" Carlos asked instead of answering, mirroring Jane's posture.

"Not all magic users can sense the same magic," Jane said slowly. "At, at least that's how I understood it."

"Go on, little fairy," Jay said as he handed her a cookie, figuring the dessert would make her more talkative.

Taking it, albeit hesitantly, Jane took a breath and continued. "I mean, we're not really taught about magic, but when I eavesdropped on their meeting, Merryweather asked permission to perform a certain type of spell that could be overlooked."

"So that others can't sense it," Evie said slowly.

"Yeah," Jane said with a nod, though she winced a little. "That's why she needed my mother's permission; casting a spell that is kinda invisible could cause trouble, after all." When they only looked at her, she continued. "If you can't see it, you don't know it's there. And if you were perceptive enough to see it, you might think it was something harmful."

"Perceptive," Carlos echoed, brow creased. "So it has nothing to do with power?"

"Perception is power," Jane said. "Magic works differently than most logical things. The greater your perception, the greater your power."

Licking his lips, Jay glanced at Mal before addressing Jane. "What if you had great power but no perception?" He kept his attention on Jane even though he felt both of Mal and Evie's knowing gazes, Mal's more so. But he couldn't help but ask.

Jane gave him a funny look. "Then you wouldn't be that powerful, would you," she said, like it made any sense. His face must have given away his confusion because she continued, "If you can't perceive something, how can you wield it or even control it?"

Jay tried not to wince. That sounded too much like what Mal and Evie had been saying lately, and though he really didn't want to open his mind to all this stuff, it seemed like it was the only option to keep those he claimed safe.

"So," Carlos said again, "because Mal could sense it, she has great perception?"

"Outstanding perception," Jane said with a nod, glancing at Mal with a little bit of awe. "I've heard talk that even my mother had trouble sensing it if she hadn't been concentrating."

Mal didn't say anything to that, keeping her face blank and her gaze on Jane.

"And Merryweather did this?" Evie said, brow furrowed as she looked from Mal to Jane. "She cast a spell stronger than your mom?"

"With spells, it's all about intent," Jane said quietly. "With the right intent, with the proper willpower, even the smallest of spells could be a force to reckon with. Sometimes, even against the casters themselves."

"How do you know all this?" Mal asked, an unreadable expression on her face.

But Jay knew, knew how she was feeling, knew how she was thinking. Mal had never received a lesson, not even a basic one, in magic, and even coming to Auradon hadn't helped her; everything she knew and felt now was simply due to instinct.

Eyes downcast, Jane shrugged. "I used to be fascinated with magic. I'd eavesdrop and sneak viewings of books in my mother's library..."

"So what happened?" Jay asked, feeling something stirring within him at Jane's guarded yet wistful expression.

"My mother caught me," Jane said with a shrug. "She told me not to get interested. That it was dangerous." She became sheepish, her cheeks growing red again. "I think I'm the reason she locks up the books now."

"And so you don't think about performing magic now," Mal guessed. "That's why it makes you uneasy thinking about it?"

Hesitantly, Jane gave a quick nod.

"I've been performing magic," Mal said. "So has Evie. So has Jay. Nothing dangerous has happened yet."

"But you're used to danger," Jane said, and though her expression was uncertain, her words were firm.

"Well, you're right about that," Carlos said, taking a bite out of another cookie. "But we're not the only ones out near curfew."

Jane blushed, and she walked past them all, moving to a pantry to retrieve some sort of container. Trying not to look at them, she moved to the corner of the kitchen, kneeling down next to a cabinet, popping the lid off of the container as she hummed gently.

Within a few moments, several mice had crept from behind the cabinets, walking near Jane without worry or fear, eating the food out of the palm of her hand.

Jay looked at Carlos, but he only shrugged, apparently unconcerned with the fact that Jane had a regular routine for feeding mice, so Jay turned his attention on Mal. Her attention, though, was on Evie, who was making her way to Jane.

"Why do you feed the mice?" Evie asked, settling beside her, taking care to be gentle and non-threatening.

Jane remained quiet. After a deep breath, she spoke. "When I was little, I used to visit Cinderella and Kit's home every holiday." She offered some food to Evie.

"Kit?" Evie asked, confused as she took some pellets, letting the mice decide for themselves to take it from her palm.

Jane blinked. "Oh. Um, King Christopher."

"Ohhhh, _Kit_ , short for Christopher," Evie said, a smile growing on her face. "Cute." She chuckled as a mouse cautiously took food from her hand.

"You're on first name basis with one of the most powerful royal families?" Mal asked, skeptical as she moved closer to them, surveying the scene.

Blushing, Jane focused on letting the mice nibble out of her hand. "I was only a child, so I didn't really understand who they were, and when they told me to call them Cinderella and Kit, I did." A smile crept onto her lips. "They were nice to me," she murmured, everything about her softening.

"And told you to feed mice, apparently," Jay prompted, confused by it all, especially by Jane's soft expression.

Looking like that, she seems like a different person, a different entity altogether, he thought, wondering if it had something to do with whatever he sensed within Jane.

Jane actually giggled, shaking her head a little. "No, they didn't tell me anything like that. Cinderella had some mouse friends that would visit her all the time, and she treated them as if they were people, too." Her smile reached her eyes, crinkling the lines around them with the memory. "You should have seen the way Kit looked at her when she was with them. It was like... It was like the stars were painted in his eyes."

Heart clenching for some reason, Jay glanced at Mal and Carlos, nearly snorting at their identical bewildered faces, but Evie's sigh distracted him.

"Sounds amazing," she said, taking some more food for the mice. "Are you feeding them in hopes of some handsome little prince catching you?"

"No," Jane said, brow furrowed as she gave a small shrug. "Cinderella always looked at peace, so I wanted to give it a try."

"Does it work?" Jay asked, genuinely curious.

"Most times," Jane answered, looking up at him with a small smile.

"If you've been visiting them for the holidays," Carlos began, swallowing some as he glanced from Jane to Evie and back, "does that mean you're well acquainted with Chad?"

Jane's smile faded immediately. "No," she said, eyes downcast, and she winced. "Well, not anymore."

"I can't picture you hanging with him," Mal said bluntly. She hid her annoyance at the memory of Chad rather well, considering she wanted to murder him yesterday.

Really, it impressed Jay.

"He used to be different when we were younger," Jane said as she stood, dusting herself off, apparently opting to let Evie feed the last of the food to the mice. "Then, it was all about popularity or something."

"Or something," Jay said, trying not to frown at Jane's resignation.

"I can't believe he did that to you guys," Jane said softly. "And I'm sorry it happened." Though she was hesitant, undoubtedly uncertain about how they'd handle an apology, her words were firm, her tone sincere.

"Yeah, well, nothing to be done now," Jay said, uncomfortable, and besides, they couldn't really do anything in retaliation, not if they wanted to stay under the radar.

"Jay's right," Evie said, standing up as well. "I mean, what could happen to him? I doubt his parents would punish him."

"Oh, part of me hopes Cinderella didn't hear about it," Jane said, frowning slightly.

"What," Mal said flatly.

Panicked, Jane shook her head. "I just mean that, that she's already shed enough tears over him."

That didn't make any sense. "Why would she cry over him?" Jay asked.

"L-like I said," Jane began, paling slightly. "He used to be different. I don't think she knows how to connect with him now."

"I'm bored of this," Carlos said, abrupt enough to startle Jane, and he walked to the door. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

Jane watched him leave in silence before looking at each of them. "He doesn't like people, does he?"

Right on the mark; maybe Carlos is right, maybe she is better at hiding things, Jay thought.

"No," Mal said, surprising him by answering Jane honestly, "but he does have the right idea. It wouldn't do to get caught out of dorms." She gestured for Evie to take the lead.

With a smile, Evie placed a hand on Jane's shoulder. "See you tomorrow," she said to Jane, patting her shoulder before moving to the table to gather her materials, Mal following suit after giving a nod to Jane.

Jane blinked at them.

It amused him, so he offered her another cookie. "G'night, little fairy," Jay said, smirking as he watched her cheeks darken.

"Good night," she murmured, letting them pick up and leave without interruption.

Once they were out of the kitchen, Mal hummed. "Well, that was enlightening."

"I think I like her," Evie said, smiling at Jay when he took more material from her hands.

"She is fun," Jay agreed, watching Mal.

"At least," Mal murmured, but she didn't say anything else as she leaned up to kiss Jay. "Make sure Carlos actually sleeps tonight."

"Think I can find a way to accomplish that," Jay said with a grin.

Evie chuckled. "And that way also lets _you_ sleep as well," she said as she too leaned in to kiss Jay. "Both of you sleep well."

"As my princess commands," Jay said, mostly just to see Evie's brilliant smile, but also because it was true.

Evie laughed, and Mal rolled her eyes, amusement on her features as they both reached up to caress his cheeks.

"Sleep well, Jay," Mal said, her thumb brushing smooth strokes into his skin. And with that, they made the trek up the stairs to their dorm.

Jay watched them until he could no longer see them, his grin slipping once he was completely alone as he thought about the night's events.

Allah, please let my magic work, please let it hide our task, he thought, adjusting his grip on the materials in his hands. Please, Allah, let this plan work, and please let me keep my head.

With a sigh, Jay made his own trek to his dorm, hoping to find Carlos in a decent mood, hoping to distract the thoughts in his head. 

———

Toward the end of her last class, Mal had never felt so nauseous before, but as her eyes kept drifting to the clock, as they kept watching the slow _tick_ of the second hand, nausea settled in her gut.

The whole situation was made worse by the fact that she hadn't seen hers for most of the day, outside of lunch, but even the meal time wasn't as much of a release as she thought it would be, considering the unspoken fact that today was the day they'd enact the love spell hung over their heads.

Not even Jane's presence, so unassuming yet impossible to miss, distracted their minds.

(Mal tried not to think about how weird it was, how her mind saw Jane as non-threatening, calming even.)

Before the annoyingly soft chime of the bell could sound, however, Mal's professor decided to dismiss the class early for the big game.

Nauseous as she was, relief flooded Mal at being able to move; staying still for so long in the same location still gave her issues, so walking into the hallway and making her way to her locker recharged her energy, her mood.

But it couldn't fully distract her from the fact that, if all went according to plan, she would be referred to as Ben's _girlfriend_ from now until the coronation.

She exited the building with a sigh, having half a mind to climb a tree and hide there.

"Mal," Evie called gently, waving Mal over to where she was leaning against Mal's locker. "They let you out early, too?" she asked when Mal settled beside her.

Nodding, Mal cast a glance at Evie, taking in how she was done up so prettily, and marveled at how she seemed to glow. Though Evie would always be a beauty in Mal's eyes, the fact that she was trying too hard left a foul taste in Mal's mouth.

Opening her locker, Mal's eyes fell on the spelled cookie, wrapped in a bag and tucked safely away from her books.

"Are you nervous?" Evie asked softly, the way she fidgeted telling Mal that she was seeking reassurance for herself as well.

"No," she said, and it was a truth; she wasn't nervous that the spell wouldn't work — it was Evie's, after all. "You haven't disappointed me yet." Mindful of the student now walking by, Mal reached for Evie's hand, giving it a squeeze. "I trust you."

And she did trust Evie, trusted her more than she cared to admit, but the unease in her gut had nothing to do with _nervousness_.

Though she tried her hardest not to, Evie let a bright smile settle on her lips as she looked at their intertwined hands, practically shuffling her feet at Mal's words. "Thanks," she murmured, giving a squeeze of her own to their hands.

Seeing Evie soft, seeing her smile so gently, cleared away some of the negative thoughts in Mal's head, and she allowed herself to smile back.

Evie's smile lessened, though, as she glanced inside Mal's locker. "I wish I could take your place," she confessed quietly, swallowing, "but I wouldn't want to disappoint you at the coronation." She tried to smile, but she couldn't hide the strain it took.

The words constricted Mal's throat, the unease in her gut churning at Evie's expression. "Don't sell yourself short," she said, doing her best to restrain her anger, anger at the thought of Evie thinking herself inferior. "You have _power_ inside of you."

"I know," Evie said, small but firm, "but I don't think it would be enough to tackle the wand. After all, the wand was made for the fae, right?"

I wouldn't know, Mal thought as she remained silent. Evie's theory did have merit, she supposed, but Mal knew no more than Evie did when it came to matters of the fae.

"If you need it, my magic is yours," Evie whispered, her grasp on Mal's hand tightening, her thumb brushing against Mal's skin.

"Mine as well," Mal murmured, letting her eyes burn emerald for a moment as she kissed the back of Evie's hand.

"What's with the magic?" Jay asked as he came up behind Mal, brow creased as he stood by their side.

Eyebrow raised, Mal glanced at him. "What's with the lack of yours?" She smirked as he looked down. "Trying to sneak up on us, hm?"

Evie chuckled. "I'd say it worked. I didn't even sense you."

Jay made a face. "More like you were both preoccupied with doing indecent things with your own magic."

Mal snorted. "Yeah, a kiss is indecent."

"You're still doing it," Jay said, gesturing to the doors leading inside the building where Carlos had just exited; he blinked in their direction before moving over to the small table, sitting down to wait on them.

It made Mal frown. "So he really can't sense anything," she murmured. She hadn't wanted to believe it at first, thought that he could sense at least an inkling.

Humming, Evie released Mal's hand, studying Carlos. "I think," she began, frowning when she noticed Doug approaching Carlos, "Carlos would be more dangerous if he could sense magic." She sighed, straightening out non-existent wrinkles in her skirt. "I better go save him from Doug."

Huffing, Mal nodded. "Go ahead." In the meantime... she thought, blinking twice. Her magic receded, and she watched Carlos' eyes widen as they became visible to him — and then he narrowed his eyes.

His reaction would have amused her, but she still didn't like the fact that he was apparently blind to anything magical; that was a serious disadvantage, possibly a deadly one.

"Classes suck," Jay said as he took Evie's place, leaning against the lockers next to Mal's. "The only good thing about today was hearing that Chad and Audrey were benched from their teams for the game." Despite his words, his face remained blank.

"The only good thing?" Mal asked him, trying not to let something as stupid as worry fill her.

"Eating Evie out is always fun," he said with a half smirk that didn't reach his eyes.

Mal didn't like it. "What's wrong with you?" She hadn't even felt his arousal today, and it usually peaked when presented with Evie's cunt or Carlos' anything.

"Are you reading me?" he asked, nose scrunched up.

He's getting more in tuned with magic, she thought, her approval swelling for a moment. "Are you avoiding my question?" she asked instead of answering him. If he could sense it now, then there was no point, after all.

Closing his eyes, Jay let his head fall back against the lockers with a soft _thud_. When he opened them, a seriousness settled over him, and he glanced at Evie and Carlos making small talk with Doug.

"Jay," Mal prompted, becoming more on edge — if Jay weren't focused, this plan wouldn't work, but more than that, she hated seeing him like this when he had only just begun to settle into himself, magic and all.

She needed to know what was tripping him up this time.

"Are we sure about this?" he asked, swallowing. "Do we really need the spell?" He didn't meet her eyes as he reached up to fiddle with the strap of his bag.

Understanding flooded Mal. "It's my burden, Jay, not yours," she said, her hand resting on his elbow.

Jay closed his eyes, refrained from breathing for a few, long seconds. "But he'll be around," he whispered, letting out a sigh. "He'd be close." His eyes shifted, focused on something behind her, and he swallowed again, frowning. 

Mal glanced over her shoulder without thinking, a reflex almost second nature thanks to their time and joint heists on the island, and she saw the view that had Jay upset: Audrey whispering to Ben a few lockers away, her hand holding onto Ben's.

"I know you know, Mal," Jay said, bringing her focus back to him in time to see him swallow. "I know you know." He looked down, unable to hold her gaze, ashamed and restless.

I do, she thought as she reached for his hand, the one clenching at the strap on his bag so tight that his knuckles were ghostly white. Though this would be the first time they actually discussed it so openly, Mal already knew of Jay's attraction to Ben.

She couldn't fault him for it, couldn't even reprimand him without being a hypocrite.

(Of course, Mal would wager that Jay's attraction was entirely different than the pull she felt toward Ben; still, there was a pull nonetheless.)

"I can order him away," she said instead, hoping it would mollify him.

"You don't know that," Jay said, nearly whispered. "Not for sure." He swallowed, eyes downcast in his shame.

"I _can_ order him away," she repeated, her grip on his hand tightening a fraction. Spell or not, she had no doubt in her mind that she _would_ be able to order Ben away, whether he agreed to it or not.

Ben wouldn't be able to withstand my magic, she thought as she glanced over her shoulder again, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth at the sight of Audrey leaning in a little too close, evidently trying to get Ben to understand something.

"Jay," she said, trying to distract herself from the stupid unease fluttering in her stomach, "this is the safest bet at the wand. Without it, we'd have to break in." She knew it was a low blow to ask the question in her mind, but she needed Jay to understand that they didn't really have any other option. "Are you ready to test your magic against that force field?"

She herself hated the thought.

"Are you ready to be judged by the wand?" Jay asked, his eyes faraway, shivering openly.

A chill stabbed its way down her back. "What did you say?"

Blinking out of it, Jay glanced at her, eyes widening minutely. "Nothing," he mumbled. "I just don't want to go near that thing again."

"Okay," she said, deciding to let it go for now. Bad enough Jay felt doubt due to his attraction, Mal didn't want to add further doubt concerning magic.

Jay glanced over her shoulder, and he swallowed. "Audrey's walking away," he murmured. "And Ben's still there."

Great, she thought, already dreading the conversation. "Leave it to me," Mal said, shooing him away gently. "Make sure we're not interrupted." She watched Jay nod as he stepped back.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mal saw Evie and Carlos glancing at her as they kept Doug's back to her.

And so here goes the first step, she thought when she turned around as she took a deep breath. Once released, she fell into character. "Hey, Bennyboo," she called, smiling slightly when he turned around, blinking at her.

"Hey," he said, smiling wide as he gave her his full attention, body angled toward her and everything. "So you're going to start calling me that now as well?" he asked, voice and demeanor pleasant, but he kept his distance, undoubtedly due to their interaction following the events of the Halloween Ball.

"You mean you aren't just thrilled to be called that?" she asked, feigning surprise as she clutched at the cookie bag, casually stepping closer.

Laughing, Ben shrugged. "So, what's up, Mal?" he asked instead of answering her.

"Funny you should ask," Mal said with a grin, trying not to falter at his unguarded expression, at that smile of his. "We made some cookies last night. It was supposed to be a good luck thing for the team, but Jay and Carlos couldn't wait."

Ben smiled wide again, a little softer as he glanced at the boys. "I'm sure they tasted wonderfully."

This is ridiculous, Mal thought as she felt a wave of something suspiciously similar to warmth run through her. "I did save a few, though. Do you want one?" she asked as she held up the little bag, unsure why her heart had begun to race. Control that, or Jay might pick up on it, she thought, scolding herself.

Though he smiled, Ben gave a slight shake of his head. "Oh," he began, clearly apologetic, "I, uh, I've got a big game, and I don't eat before a big game. But thank you so, so much." He smiled, soft and warm and sincere. "Really, thank you for thinking of me. Maybe next time?" He gave her a little nod, and he began to move away.

Well, shit, she thought, mind racing. "No, yeah. I get it," she said, wondering what was in her tone that made Ben pause, and she hurried to think of something that would seal the deal. " _Be careful of treats offered by kids of villains_." Her mouth had moved of its own accord, but now that the words were out, Mal realized that they were in fact the perfect hook.

Because Ben's face immediately fell, his brow creased. "No, no, no," he began, clearly upset.

"No," Mal cut in, intent to keep him from getting a word in, intent to upset him further, "I'm sure every kid in Auradon knows that." It wasn't a stretch, really, considering how they were basically ignored before Lonnie came to her with the request for new hair.

"No, that's not it," Ben said, adamant and flustered, so much so that he stepped closer to her. "No, no, I-I really do—"

"No, I understand. You're cautious. That's smart." Mal sighed as she took out the cookie, trying not to smile at the frown, at the hurt, on Ben's face — and trying not to let it mess with her head. "Oh well, more for me, I guess..." She let her words trail as she brought the cookie to her mouth, prepared to take a bite, wondering if her gambit would pay off.

"No, no. Hey." Ben snatched the cookie out of her hand and took a bite, almost before he even registered what he'd done, if his wide eyes were anything to go by. But then he smiled, chuckling sheepishly as he began chewing. "See that?" he asked, a hand covering his mouth so as not to be rude. "Totally trust you."

You do, don't you, she thought as she gave Ben a smile she didn't feel. "So. How is it?" she asked, feeling Jay and Evie close by. "And you can talk with your mouth full. Trust me, you can't be any worse than Jay and Carlos."

Chuckling, Ben smiled wide. "It's good. It's great even! It's, uh... I mean, it's chewy and, and you know, it..." He swallowed a little, that smile of his still in place. "I mean, uh, you know, the, the chocolate..." He paused, brow creasing, eyes widening in something akin to alarm.

Mal held her breath, forcing herself to hold his gaze; she wasn't a hundred percent on how the spell worked, but it was called _First Sight's Love_ , so she figured it best to keep her gaze on him to make sure _his_ gaze was on her.

"The, the chocolate... The chocolate chips are... I'm sorry," Ben said, shaking his head a little as he blinked, the crease still in his brow as he looked at Mal. And then it disappeared. "Um, the chocolate chips. They're warm and soft. And they're sweet..." Ben's words trailed as he stared at Mal, his expression becoming softer by the second. "Mal, have you always had those little golden flecks in your eyes?" He grinned as he brought the cookie up to his mouth again.

That's enough of that, Mal thought as she quickly intercepted, smiling for Ben as she carefully tucked the cookie away in its baggie, a little unnerved that he hadn't reacted to the cookie being taken; he still looked at her in that soft, attentive way.

She didn't need to look to know that the others had come up beside them.

"So," Jay began, glancing at Mal for the okay, placing his hand on Ben's shoulder when she nodded, "how you feeling, Ben?"

Ben, whose gaze still hadn't left Mal, tilted his head to the side, pondering the question as if it were an important issue. "I feel..." A brilliant smile broke out on his lips. "I feel like singing your name!" And without warning, Ben opened his mouth wide and out came Mal's name.

"Whoa, whoa," Mal said, both amazed and horrified as she covered his mouth, muffling her own name that Ben was apparently content to sing even with her blocking him.

"Something wrong?" Doug asked, coming up beside them, eyebrow raised at their positions.

"Ben's just a little excited for the tourney game," Jay said, elbowing Ben in the ribs.

Ben made an muffled squawk, but he stopped singing, instead opting to stand there blinking at them.

"He startled me," Mal said, speaking the truth, as she cautiously lowered her hand; she hadn't expected _that_ reaction. "I don't like sudden shouts like that."

"I'm sorry," Ben said immediately, keeping his lips sealed as he looked at her.

Doug, though, laughed. "Yeah, tourney's a big thing around here. The team gets a little excited sometimes."

"Swell," Mal said, turning her attention back to Ben. "Well, I think you boys will be late for your own game." She gave a pointed look Jay and Carlos' way before glancing at Evie.

"And, Doug," Evie said, smiling for him, distracting him from the fact that Ben hadn't uttered a word, "aren't you going to be late for the game as well?" She placed her hand on Doug's shoulder, even batting her lashes at him.

Clearing his throat, Doug nodded. "Yeah, I guess I should get going. Gotta hype up the crowd." He chuckled, waving to them all. "See you out there."

"See ya," Jay said, nudging Ben again, his grin off only by fraction as Ben waved mindlessly.

Carlos sighed. "Does this mean we have to babysit him until the day is over?"

"I thought we wouldn't have to deal with this," Jay said quietly, eying Ben like he would snap at any minute.

Evie took hold of Mal's hand and moved her a few steps back, her eyes on Ben the whole time, watching how Ben followed their movement, head tilted in curiosity. "Well," she said, amused, "he certainly has eyes only for Mal. I think you'll be safe." She gave a wink in Jay's direction.

Eyes downcast in embarrassment, Jay huffed. "Whatever, let's just take him to the lockers so we can win the game."

Out of the corner of her eye, Mal saw Carlos frown.

"Ben," Carlos said, nonchalant and bored, as if it were an everyday conversation, "are you ready for the game?"

Mal had to raise an eyebrow. What was he playing at?

Blinking, Ben turned to Carlos. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, a sheepish grin on his face, surprising them, "I think I got swept off my feet a little." His grin softened as he glanced at Mal.

Evie giggled, squeezing Mal's hand and pulling Mal close to her. "I think it's working like a charm," she whispered, her grin infectious.

At least, it would be, if Ben's gazes would stop freaking Mal out.

"Okay, whatever, let's just go," Mal said, tugging slightly on Evie, trying not to glare at anyone. "Take care, boys," she said to Carlos and Jay, shooing them away.

"Yeah, take care," Evie echoed, amusement clear in her tone as she waved at them. She kept glancing over her shoulder, giggling to herself.

"If you fall, it'll be your own fault," Mal reminded her as she led them to the bleachers.

Chuckling, Evie righted herself, glancing at Mal as she failed to rein in her grin. "Jay had to practically drag Ben away. Who knew it would work so well."

"It was your spell," Mal said, already hearing the noise of the pre-game festivities, dreading the experience. "Of course it would work."

"Thanks, M," Evie said, smiling brilliantly as she gave Mal's hand a tiny squeeze. "Now all we need is to get through this game, and Ben is ours as we see fit." She grinned, mischief dancing in her eyes. "Our task is finally underway."

Mal gave her a smirk in return, even as she thought, And we all have to keep our heads.

They had an entire month before the coronation occurred.

We can't afford any foul ups, she thought, trying not to overthink anything as she let Evie lead her to the bleachers.

———

The spell had only just begun, and already Carlos could see all the potential problems with it.

Namely, Ben had the stupidest expression on his face and had to be guided by Jay into the locker room, to his own locker even.

What was the point of a love spell if it rendered the target completely useless?

"So, Ben," Jay began, nervousness laced in the way he glanced at Carlos.

"I love her," Ben breathed out, snapping out of his daze, a huge smile on his face like he couldn't believe he was actually speaking the words. "Guys, I _love_ her," he said again, so excited and gleeful he was practically bouncing with it.

Damn that stuff is strong, Carlos thought as he watched Ben daydream. About Mal, apparently. It was weird to even think about.

But at least he didn't look like a mindless idiot anymore.

"It's amazing, Carlos," Jay said, wrapping an arm around Carlos' shoulders, and he leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Who knew a little love spell could do _that_." He laughed, any tension he had melting away, and he turned Carlos' head so he could deliver a kiss to his lips.

Feeling his _ears_ burn, Carlos pulled away, swatting at Jay's shoulder. " _Jay_ ," he whispered fiercely, gesturing to Ben, who — go figure — was now looking at them... with a smile?

Jay snorted. "He doesn't care," he said to Carlos before turning to Ben. "Do you care that I kissed him?"

"You can kiss whomever you want," Ben said pleasantly, but he held up a finger, wagging it a little. "But only if they want to be kissed. Carlos, were you okay with that?"

Carlos stared, could feel Jay staring, too. That wasn't something he expected Ben to say. "Yeah, I'm okay with it. I just didn't know if you were."

What little there was of Ben's concern vanished in an instant. "Of course I'm okay with it. You guys are great."

"Huh," Carlos murmured, wondering what were the specifics of the love spell. Did it just put everything else on the backburner so that the main focus could be placed on the object of desire? Did it simply make Ben think about Mal more often and leave everything else unaffected?

He had no answers, and it was way too soon to tell.

"Fifteen minutes, people," Coach called, and his words seemed to snap Ben out of whatever trance he was in.

"Fifteen minutes," Ben echoed, head tilted, blinking at him.

Jay snorted. "Till the big game, dude. Better get dressed." He nudged Ben in the shoulder before turning to Carlos. "That means you too, boy wonder." With a grin, Jay left for his locker, excitement clear.

Carlos still didn't understand what fascinated Jay about tourney, but then again, he didn't really care as long as Jay liked it.

"Big game," Ben repeated, staring off into space. "I wonder if Mal will be there."

Yikes, Carlos thought, deciding that Ben in this condition was of no use to him, to the team. "Ben, listen to me," he said, and he was instantly unnerved when Ben immediately focused on him. "Yes, Mal will be there, and—"

"She will?" he asked, a bright smile spreading across his face, and he looked toward the field. "What kind of things does she like, Carlos? I need to know so I can confess my feelings to her properly. Do you think—"

"Ben, stop, pay attention," Carlos said, snapping his fingers in front of Ben's face, impatient. "You have to focus on winning the game, okay?" Carlos might not care much about tourney, but he'd seen how Jay was with the sport, and anything that made Jay grin like that needed to stick around. "If you win the game, Mal would be impressed," he added, figuring mentioning her would be more incentive for Ben.

Ben blinked, but he nodded, expression serious for a moment. "Okay, of course." His serious expression began to crack, and a smile bloomed across his lips. "It's just kinda hard to concentrate, you know? I mean, all I wanna do is sing Mal's name, and I haven't properly confessed my feelings yet!"

Carlos studied Ben as he began to get dressed, somehow both focused and not, and Carlos nodded to himself, mind made up. "You know, if the team wins the game, I don't see why you couldn't profess your love for Mal right there on the field," he said as nonchalantly as he could.

Subtlety be damned, he thought as he took in Ben, took in how he seriously considered the option, and Carlos even smiled when Ben nodded.

"Okay," he said, smiling at Carlos, "okay, I can manage that."

Carlos tried not to smirk at how easy it was to manipulate him like this. All according to his newly formed plan. Patting Ben on the shoulder, Carlos left to get ready for the game.

"What took you?" Jay asked as he neared, already suited up, rolling his shoulders. He rolled his eyes, too, when Carlos only answered him with a shrug. "See you on the field, Coach just called me over."

"See you out there," Carlos agreed, watching Jay head for Coach's office, a slight frown to his face. He always had some type of feeling whenever Jay left to be alone with Coach, but Carlos couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was.

"Carlos," someone called, quiet and shy.

Carlos turned around, blinking wide-eyed at Ben, nearly gawking at how he _shuffled_ his feet. How did he even get dressed so fast, he thought, distracted, before shaking himself out of it. "What's up, Ben?" he asked, cautious and guarded.

Ben looked nervous, and he took a breath before speaking. "Do you really think I could confess if we win the game?" he asked, hopeful.

Refraining from rolling his eyes — because, really, how did he get stuck with having this conversation? — Carlos merely nodded as he continued dressing. "Of course. Your mind's telling you to sing your feelings, so do it if we win. With Jay on the team, I'm pretty sure you could pull it off."

Giving Ben the extra incentive would probably ensure the team's victory, and if he played his cards right, it would also ensure Chad and Audrey get a comeuppance — small as it would be.

"But I've never really been brave, exactly..." Ben mumbled, embarrassed.

That made Carlos pause, and he turned to fully face Ben. He can't be serious, he thought, but as he continued studying Ben, as he watched Ben wait nervously for his judgment, the only conclusion that Carlos could come up with was that, yes, Ben was definitely serious.

What the shit, he thought as he pulled on the last of his uniform.

"Ben," he began, awkward and uncomfortable, "do you even realize what you did for us?" Because how could Ben not realize?

Tilting his head, Ben blinked, eyebrow rising slightly. "What do you mean?"

"You went against your old man to bring us to Auradon!" Carlos said, incredulous and low, mindful of how the sound worked in the locker room.

But really, what went through Ben's head sometimes? How could he not see that going against his father, against the beast king himself, was a brave act. Stupid, yes, but brave.

The confusion left Ben's face in a flash, and he shook his head again. "That wasn't bravery, Carlos, that was doing the right thing," he said simply.

And people think I'm fucked in the head, Carlos thought, rapidly coming to the conclusion that he was never going to understand Ben's logic. "If you can take on the beast king, you can confess to Mal," he said instead, trying to guide the conversation back on track.

Chuckling, Ben glanced down, a small smile on his lips. "But I don't think she likes me," he said, pleasant yet defeated.

Carlos paused. That tone, it's almost like he accepted that fact long ago and made peace with it... he thought, eyes narrowed slightly. "Ben... How long have you liked Mal?"

He didn't know why he asked. Ben was under a love spell, after all. Anything he said when it came to Mal most likely couldn't be trusted.

"I'm pretty sure I fell in love with her when I first met her," Ben answered, that same small smile on his lips, that same defeated yet pleasant tone to his voice. "Pathetic, huh?"

His words probably couldn't be trusted, but damn if Carlos didn't believe his actions. It looked too natural, too fluid, and from what Carlos had observed prior to the spell, Ben wasn't that good an actor.

This spell is a real piece of work, Carlos thought as he shrugged, both at himself and at Ben's question, deciding not to comment on the matter. Yet. "If that's the case," he said instead, "shouldn't you at least try?"

Having Ben doubt himself wouldn't be good for the team, for Jay, but Carlos didn't think he'd be able to keep having these little reassuring conversations. It felt weird.

"Thank you, Carlos," Ben said, words as sincere as his smile.

Licking his lips, Carlos swallowed, shrugging again. "But remember, you can't do anything unless we win the game, so try your best there, too."

"Right," Ben said with a nod, still sincere.

As he watched Ben leave, Carlos turned and closed his locker. He wasn't one for believing in luck, but he figured they'd need it today.

Magic, he thought with a sigh as he made his way to the field.

He'd never understand it.

—

Carlos had not signed up to actually play the game, but of course, both Jay _and_ Ben had insisted that Coach put him in, and so into the fray he went.

(Though, entering the game had been better than sharing a bench with Chad.)

It wasn't that he hated tourney; he never felt a strong way about anything, really, so why should the sport be any different? In fact, he found it to be good exercise and a good way to keep on his toes — not to mention a great way to see Jay's unrestrained grin.

Still, pulling him into the actual game was an annoyance, mostly because he was preoccupied with keeping an eye on both Jay and Ben. Not only that, it was vastly different from observing the action on the bench.

"Huddle up!" came Ben's voice. "C'mon, guys, we've got one final play," he said once they were all together. "We can do this."

Jay nudged him. "Carlos," he prompted, and though his face was partially obscured, Carlos could see his eyes, could see the way his eyebrow rose, expectant.

No, no, you are not thinking what I think you're thinking, Carlos thought, watching as Jay's eyes shifted, and Carlos followed his line of sight on reflex. "Uh," he said intelligently, blinking at Ben, who now had his attention focused on him.

"Carlos, you have a plan?" Ben asked.

Some of the others groaned. "The runt, really?"

Carlos could feel the tension rise in Jay's shoulders, and he quickly grabbed Jay's jersey, trying to restrain him, hoping he wouldn't do anything that would get him thrown out of the game.

"Do _not_ call him that," Ben said, low and serious, something akin to a dangerous glint in his eyes, so much so that a few teammates actually took a step back.

Carlos could only stare.

He felt Jay deflate as well.

"Carlos," Ben said again, demeanor changing, once again sweet and soft, making Carlos dizzy, "do you have a plan?"

Swallowing, Carlos nodded. Ben had stuck his neck out for them, so Carlos supposed he could return the favor.

It felt odd, talking to the huddle, having them all listen attentively, watching them nod when comprehension dawned, seeing the impressed expressions appear on their faces.

It felt _too_ odd, and Carlos let out a relieved sigh once the huddle broke apart.

"Knew you could do it," Ben said with a grin as he clapped his shoulder before getting into position. "Just breathe, and let Jay and me handle the majority of the work."

Just breathe he says, Carlos thought, repositioning his hold on his shield, keeping an eye on both Jay and Ben. Easier said than done, he thought as he watched Jay move when the whistle blew.

It was a simple plan, all things considered, but Carlos felt confident that it would work: the other team expected Jay to lead, so use that against them.

The other team did exactly what he thought they'd do: most of them were all over Jay, and Jay gave them a run for their gold.

Carlos blocked for Ben when he could, surprised by his own strength, and the possibility of winning became more and more likely, the energy changing on the field.

And at the heart of the change was Jay.

Carlos watched as Jay moved, more grace than brute strength, and he realized that Jay was actively concentrating, actively focusing on the play, on his own movements. It was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

The wind got knocked out of him as Carlos fell to the ground, wincing at the dull pain in his side; the other team's blocker huffed at him as he left, and just as Carlos began to stand, he felt someone grip the back of his shirt, hauling him up.

"C'mon, boy wonder, can't sleep on your own play," Jay said, guiding him toward the net.

"Don't worry about me," Carlos said, righting himself enough to get back into the game. Out the corner of his eye, as he blocked the dragon fire coming from the other team's dragon roost, he saw Ben get into position. "Time to be the center of attention."

"At your command," Jay said with a grin, and he took off in a dash, charging for the net.

Gathering his reserves, Carlos followed suit.

"Jay, up!" Carlos shouted, immediately curling behind his shield to support Jay's weight, only mildly grunting when Jay stepped on the shield for the added boost. "Ben!" Carlos called, glancing from his shield, watching Jay pass the ball to Ben.

Carlos watched as Ben made the goal, cheers erupting all around him, and Carlos watched as Jay laughed as he put his arm around Ben's neck, pulling him close. Carlos raised an eyebrow at that, but he didn't have time to over-analyze as Jay did the same thing to him, leading them to the announcer and the cheering crowd.

"We won, dude!" Jay said, laughing when Carlos rolled his eyes.

"We won," Ben echoed, and he pulled off his helmet, licking his lips as he scanned the bleachers. His gaze settled on something, and he smiled wide, his whole face lighting up, bouncing on his feet a little as he broke free from Jay's hold. "Be right back, guys!" He laughed, clasping them both on the shoulder before jogging to the announcer.

"That's weird," Jay said, amused as he pulled Carlos along.

No way, Carlos thought, watching with disbelief as Ben stole the microphone from the announcer mid-sentence.

"Excuse me!" Ben began as he climbed on top of the dragon's roost. "Excuse me, please. I have something to say." He licked his lips, staring again.

"Dude, what's going on," Jay whispered to him, brow creased as he looked at Ben.

"Well..." Carlos said, wondering if he should tell him.

Ben took a breath, then he shouted, "Give me an M!"

Bewildered, Carlos watched as the crowd mimicked Ben's pose as they repeated the letter.

"What the fuck," Jay murmured.

"Give me an A!" Ben shouted, moving his hands to his side.

Once again, the crowd mimicked his pose, repeating the letter back to him.

"Seriously, what the fuck," Jay said, staring at everyone.

"Give me an L!" Ben shouted as he made an L with his arms, smiling wide when the crowd did as told. "What does that spell?"

"MAL!" the crowd shouted.

"C'mon, I can't hear you!" Ben yelled, a grin on his face.

"MAL!" the crowd shouted again.

"I love you, Mal," Ben said, smiling so wide and looking right at Mal like she hung up the stars in his sky. "Did I mention that?" His smile turned shy.

Holy shit, Carlos thought, gaze cutting to Mal's blatant shock and Evie's excitement. Swallowing, he looked to the benches, seeking out Audrey, and he grinned as he took in her disbelief, her incredulousness, and he glanced at Chad, benched as well, looking sour by the second, and he laughed.

(He wanted to do more than simply humiliate the both of them, wanted to do more to Chad because he had orchestrated the stupid prank at the ball, and he wanted to do more to Audrey, possibly a lot more, seeing as she dressed as his mother, seeing as she caused Carlos to doubt all the logic, all the time he had spent on that damned laptop checking the security to the island, making sure the barrier was secured.

For a few, brief moments, Carlos had been reduced to that petrified little runt once more, had forgotten all his preparation and caution, all because some stuck up, spoiled, vain little princess had decided to play dress up in his mother's likeness. He wanted to do so much more than a simple humiliation.)

Still, he felt a little mollified by the disgust on their faces. Guess my plan worked, he thought, laughing again when Ben started actually _singing_.

He didn't think Ben meant literally.

"Dude," Jay said, laughing, "who knew, indeed."

He felt mildly bad for putting Mal in the spotlight like that, but seeing as literally no one but Audrey and Chad had bat an eyelash at Ben professing his love for a daughter of a villain, Carlos figured no one really cared who Ben dated.

It was amusing, though, seeing Mal duck from Ben's kiss, and seeing Ben's completely besotted expression at her rebuff.

"I love you, Mal," Ben said as he put his arm around her shoulders, "did I mention that?"

"Yeah, about twenty times," Jay said to Carlos, still laughing.

"Chad's my boyfriend now," Audrey said, abrupt and loud due to the microphone she snatched from Ben's hand, "and I'm going to the coronation with him."

Carlos' stomached dropped, and his eyes immediately fell on Evie, on her crumbling expression. Fuck, I didn't think this through, he thought as he watched Evie watch Audrey kiss Chad.

"What an ass," Jay muttered beside him, a frown on his face.

I'm an ass, Carlos thought, eyes still on Evie.

Without missing a beat, Ben snatched back the microphone and asked, "Mal, will you go to the coronation with me?"

Annoyed at the limelight but trying to hide it to everyone now staring at her, Mal spoke into the microphone. "Yes," she said, fake cheeriness in her voice, and she blinked in surprise when Ben practically bounced at her answer.

"She said yes!" he exclaimed, unnecessary due to the volume the microphone possessed, which had let everyone hear her answer, and he looked at the crowd, now cheering once more.

"Someone needs to get him," one of their teammates said with a laugh. "We can't wrap this up without him."

"I'll go," Jay said, and he moved before anyone could object.

Carlos watched him, knowing that he wanted to save Mal from the spotlight. But Carlos' gaze shifted to Evie, taking in her downcast expression, and something pinched his chest.

This is why you don't make the plans, he thought, scolding himself, eyes still on the girls even as Jay and Ben came back to the team, and it was only when Jay's arm around his neck forced him to redirect his attention did Carlos break his gaze.

He needed to make it up to her. Chad could go fuck himself for all Carlos cared, but Evie had him in her sights for her mother's sake, and Carlos ruined that.

(Carlos knew that, if she had been able to seduce Chad into marrying her, Evie would not have let what Chad had done go without retribution, and how sweet it would have been to see Chad at her mercy, brought down to the lowest he'd most likely ever been, because if Chad had to go against Evie one on one, Chad would lose.)

But Carlos ruined that.

I need to make it up to her, he thought as he went through the motions of clapping for Jay, and though he was proud that Jay had earned the title of most valuable player — because that was what Jay _was_ — all Carlos could see was Evie's face.

I need to make it up to her, he thought again, watching as Evie put on a smile for Mal, for Jay, but Carlos knew.

He knew all too well when someone was acting.

Because he was a master at it himself.

—

The locker room had been ridiculous before, but now it could practically be called a riot.

Carlos watched their teammates crowd Jay, congratulating him, and Carlos found himself smiling. That's where he belongs, he thought as he pulled off his shirt, intent to get a head start on showering — he needed to find Evie, after all.

Someone lightly clearing their throat caught his attention, and Carlos turned around, coming face to face with Ben.

Ben, who looked worried and concerned, a small crease to his brow, was practically wringing his hands in what Carlos could only describe as nervousness.

What fresh hell is this, he wondered, unable to produce a reason for Ben's demeanor, especially since he'd been so ecstatic on confessing his love to Mal. "Ben?" he prompted, seeing as the good king had yet to speak.

Taking a breath, Ben looked Carlos in the eye, concern still painting his features. "Was that okay?" he asked, the crease in his brow deepening. "Is everything going to be all right?"

Unsure what prompted this from Ben, Carlos nodded. "Of course. You heard Mal yourself, right? She accepted your—"

"No, not that," Ben interrupted, wringing his hands some more. "Evie. She liked Chad, didn't she?"

Carlos stared.

Swallowing, Ben continued. "If I hadn't confessed just now, Evie wouldn't—"

"Stop," Carlos said quietly, mildly surprised when Ben immediately did as told, looking at Carlos with full attention. I thought love spells only made people think about the object of affection, he thought, studying Ben.

But Ben was clearly worried for Evie's feelings, genuinely _remorseful_ that his actions had inadvertently hurt her. Genuine and sincere just like all the other times he'd interacted with them.

"You're full of surprises, Ben," Carlos murmured. When Ben only tilted his head in confusion, oddly reminding Carlos of Dude, Carlos placed a hand on Ben's shoulder. "It'll be fine, Ben. Chad didn't deserve her anyway." At least he could tell Ben a small truth.

He doubted anyone would deserve Evie.

The worry on Ben's features faded slightly, but he still had a small crease to his brow. "I just. I never want to hurt Evie," he said, swallowing in his uncertainty, but he held Carlos' gaze, his tone adamant. "I never want to hurt any of you. I try so hard to fail your expectations, but I don't think I'm doing a good job." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes; in fact, Ben's expression looked almost pained. "It kinda kills me a little that I can't be useful to any of you."

Carlos stared, unable to take his eyes away, unable to swallow. His throat had closed, his chest had tightened, and a stupid flutter had settled in his stomach, and he blamed it all on Ben, on Ben's expression.

What the fuck did you say to that?

"You didn't," Carlos began weakly, forcing himself to swallow, forcing his words firmer. "You didn't hurt Evie, Ben." It was a truth he could offer, but his nerves began to scatter, uncomfortable with even entertaining his next admission. "And you _do_ fail to meet my expectations," he said quietly.

Ben blinked at him for a few moments before a smile slowly made its way onto his lips, and his shoulders sagged, the tension flowing from him. "Okay, if you say so, Carlos." And then he was looking at Carlos as if Carlos was someone worthy of trust, as if Carlos wasn't some rift-raft in the presence of a great king.

Clearing his throat, Carlos nodded, giving awkward pats to Ben's shoulder. "I do say so." He refrained from fidgeting; Ben's gaze unnerved him. "I also say you should go join in the celebration with Jay and the others," he said before Ben could open his mouth again.

His words did the trick, and Ben smiled as he glanced at their teammates. "Jay was amazing, wasn't he?"

Snorting, Carlos nodded. "Yeah, go tell him that." He gave a little shove, but it wasn't really needed as Ben was moving toward the crowd and the cheer.

Allowing himself to smile, Carlos quickly undressed, not wanting anyone else to interrupt him: he had a mission.

And his mood sobered, remembering that he needed to make it up to Evie, so Carlos hurried to the showers, leaving the celebration to Jay and Ben.

—

The dormitories were mostly silent, the festivities and celebration taking place outside, and Carlos walked the halls as if punishment waited for him.

If Mal ever finds out what I did... he thought, swallowing his shudder as he approached Mal and Evie's room.

Carlos knocked on the door, figuring he'd be polite; he had no ability to see if it was spelled, as the girls were now wont to do, but even if it was, he still would have knocked. He had seen Evie's face, so he knew that she wouldn't want to be caught off guard.

When the door clicked open, Carlos braced himself, ready to meet Mal's quiet fury, but it wasn't Mal who met him; it was Evie herself. Evie, bright and beautiful Evie, whose smile was halfhearted at best, let him into the room, closing the door behind him and whispering magic into the wood.

Carlos didn't say anything as she walked to the table, to the pile of work that he knew belonged to Chad, and she sat down, staring at the papers and books, expressionless.

"Where's Mal?" he asked, if only to break the silence. He didn't mind it, as he'd long ago learned that silence meant relative safety, but he knew that Evie never liked it much.

"Hiding," Evie answered, amusement flashing on her features as she tore her gaze away from the table's surface. "We didn't expect Ben to react like that, and she took Lonnie's offer of celebratory cupcakes in an attempt to hide from him."

Trying not to wince at the reminder that he fucked up so thoroughly, Carlos walked to Evie's side, gently taking her hand in his and placing a kiss on her knuckles. "Can I take your mind off things?" he asked quietly.

Evie blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

Shrugging, he kissed her hand again. "Can I taste you?" he asked, whispering the words into her smooth skin.

He rarely used his mouth on her, and not because he didn't want to. No, he wanted to, liked the taste of her as much as he liked the feeling of Jay in him, but she usually only focused on their own pleasure; the only times she was front in center was when Mal wanted it that way.

Evie hadn't seemed to mind, probably preferred it that way, but Carlos still wanted to give her something.

Something sparked in her eyes, and Evie regarded him almost coolly. "What are you saying?"

"I want to give you something," he said simply, even if all he could think was, I want to make it up to you.

It should surprise him how easily he lied to her, but it really didn't.

He'd gotten a lot better at lying to each of them now.

Evie stared at him for a moment longer before she placed her other hand over Carlos'. "I don't want your mouth," she said slowly as she stood up, carefully walking them to her bed. "I want something else."

"Name it," Carlos said, prepared and willing to give her anything.

A hint of a smile crossed her lips as she released his hand, as she turned from him to kneel at the side of her bed, as she bent her body, laying her torso on the bed as she spread her knees, looking at him over her shoulder.

Carlos swallowed. "Really?"

Evie nodded, a smirk forming on her lips. "Jay and Mal aren't here. You can take me from behind." She even gently swayed her hips, the way she bit her bottom lip inviting. "You can take me from behind as long as you'd like."

Carlos moved to her, let his hands roam over her back and shoulders, let them caress her cheek as he leaned down to kiss her. "What I'd like is for you to be pampered," he said when he pulled away, sharing the same breath as her, and he kissed her again. "And how am I supposed to know if you're enjoying it?"

Smiling, Evie leaned up for another kiss, which Carlos gave gladly, as she took his hand and guided it to her cunt, still hidden beneath her tights and panties, and she rubbed his fingers against herself. "You'll feel my wetness," she breathed out, letting his hand go when she realized he didn't need her help in teasing her.

And he could feel her already, could feel how slick she was from just this little action. How long had she been wanting to do it in this position? "Evie," he said, surprised at how even his voice was, "do you want me to strip you?"

He didn't know if she wanted her scars visible right then and there, not after she was so humiliated by Chad, by _him_.

Evie only smiled. "Just fuck me as I am, Carlos," she said, voice a little breathy, biting her lip again as she pushed back against Carlos' fingers.

"No prep?" Carlos asked as he pulled her tights down just enough to expose her ass, her cunt. He didn't want to hurt her, but he knew how intoxicating that stretch, that burn, could be.

Moaning, Evie shook her head, wiggling her ass, her expression hungry. "I can take it."

I know you can, but you shouldn't have to, he thought as he dipped his finger into her wetness, as he teased and stretched her, adding another finger, rubbing her lips and clit.

Shuddering, Evie moaned, pressing her face into the bed. "C-Carlos," she gasped out when the pad of his middle finger rubbed her clit a little rougher, "I said I can take it."

"I know," he said, proud of how steady his voice was, "but I also know you like being teased." He'd have to be blind not to see how she was when Mal pushed a little longer than necessary, so he continued slowly stroking her with his fingers, transfixed with the way she tried to get more.

"I do," she agreed around a moan, nodding her head, licking her lips, "but that isn't what I want right now." She bit her lip again, sending a _come hither_ look she usually reserved for a mark, but it was too heated, her face too flushed.

Her eagerness, that almost-desperation, sent a spark through Carlos, and who was he to deny Evie her own pleasure? He leaned over her as his hands traveled to his zip, kissing her deep and firm as he got his cock out, swallowing her moans.

"You're beautiful," he murmured as he slowly sank into her, gripping her hips tightly, a small heady rush washing over him at the feeling of her cunt accommodating his cock.

Evie gripped the covers, a low groan spilling from her mouth, her eyes closed as her breath hitched as he fully seated himself inside her. " _Fuck_ ," she moaned, drawing out the word.

For a moment, Carlos worried that it was too much for her, that he didn't prepare her enough despite her dismissing the notion, but then he watched as she slowly pulled away from him only for her to push back, a little faster than before, and he felt her warm wetness tighten around him as she moaned at the sensation.

So he snapped his hips once, and he shuddered as Evie groaned.

"Yeah, that's it, just like that," Evie moaned, gripping the covers tighter, swaying her ass.

Nodding despite the fact that Evie had her eyes closed, Carlos snapped his hips again, kept a quick, strong pace, and Evie moaned and writhed and spilled encouragement from her mouth, and Carlos moaned as well, unable to keep silent because, fuck, Evie felt so good around him.

"H-harder, Carlos," Evie gasped out, whining when Carlos hiked her hips up at little, the new angle allowing him to go deeper. "Fuck, make me see stars." Evie's moans became breathy, more whines escaping from the back of her throat.

And Carlos obliged her, would never deny her, and he put his strength to good use as he gripped Evie's hips, held her up even as her legs trembled, and he fucked her rough and deep but slow and calculated, watching her for her tells, for the sign that her pleasure was taking over, his own breath coming out as pants.

"Carlos, Carlos, I'm almost, _fuck_ , Carlos, please, _please_ ," Evie babbled, grip in the covers so hard that he almost thought she could rip the fabric, and when he delivered a particularly rough thrust, she cried out, practically sobbed.

So Carlos picked up his pace, made sure to fuck into her the way she wanted, hard and rough and deep, fucking her into the bed, pushing her down, his hands spreading her as he leaned over her, his fingers finding her clit.

"Oh fuck," Evie gasped, and she moved her hips, met him thrust for thrust. "Fuck, Carlos, please, come inside me, please," she cried out, her whole body shuddering.

And Carlos groaned, releasing inside of her as she wished, marveling at Evie's beauty, at her strength, at the way her body shook in the aftermath of her release, and he continued moving, slow and steady, letting them both come down from their high at a gradual pace.

Carlos didn't collapse, but it was close. With as much presence of mind he could muster, he eased himself on top of Evie, covered her body and felt her sigh at his weight. "Sorry," he murmured, and though he kept telling himself to move, his body could no longer find the strength.

"Don't be," Evie said, sighing again. "I like you in me." Her hand reached up to caress his face, and he felt her smile when he turned to kiss her fingers.

Humming, Carlos kissed her neck. "And you feel better?"

"Tons," Evie sighed out.

"I should hope so."

Carlos and Evie jumped, the both of them looking over their shoulders to see Mal leaning against the door, amusement on her face.

"Mal," Carlos said, frozen in place.

"All I'll say is that you both are lucky I had the sense to make our rooms soundproof," Mal said, smirking as she made her way to her bed, removing her jacket along the way.

Swallowing, Carlos slowly pulled out of Evie, shivering at the way she shivered. "So... you're not mad?"

Mal blinked at him. "Why would I be mad?"

Evie bit her bottom lip. "Because he took me from behind?"

Snorting, Mal shook her head. "If that's what you wanted, I'm not mad."

"But you and Jay...?" Carlos let his voice trail, still worried.

"I happen to like seeing your faces when you come," Mal said, matter-of-fact as she walked toward them. "And though I can't really speak for him, I can guess why Jay prefers to face you when you fuck." With that, her expression darkened for a moment, causing Carlos to suppress a chill.

He knew she was thinking about Jafar. 

And Carlos tried not to think at all.

"Can you go again?" Mal asked him as she neared, her fingers tracing his jawline.

"Hmm?" He nearly purred, leaning into her touch. Sometimes, he thought Mal used magic on him, and sometimes, he couldn't be bothered to care too much.

Mal smirked, cupping his chin. "Are you able to fuck Evie again?" She glanced at Evie, smirk still in place. "I don't think she's satisfied just yet."

Carlos shivered, could hear Evie shivering too, and he gave Mal a nod. After all, he still felt as if he needed to make it up to Evie.

"Good boy," Mal said, smirk deepening when heat filled his cheeks, "because Evie's going to go into the bathroom and get herself nice and ready for you." She began caressing his jawline, her gaze drifting to Evie. "Just think of her on her hands and knees, glorious in her nudity, as she waits for you."

Carlos' throat went dry as Evie whined, and he chanced a glance at her, taking in how aroused she was at the idea.

Chuckling, Mal led him to the bed, guiding him down to sit on the edge, and Mal took Evie's hand, guiding her toward the bathroom. "Why don't you take everything off, my princess," she said as she opened the door for Evie. "We'll be waiting."

Carlos watched as Evie nodded, biting her bottom lip as she closed the bathroom door behind her. Once Evie was gone, Mal turned to him, curious, and that only made him sit straighter.

Eyebrow raised, Mal said, "You did this because of the Chad thing, huh?"

"Yes," Carlos said. It was true enough.

The corner of her mouth upturning, Mal nodded. "Good. I figured I could count on you."

It took everything in him not to wince. Please don't say that, he thought, unable to squish the building sickness in his throat.

"You can take your jacket and shoes off," Mal said, her attention more focused on the bathroom door, "but leave everything else on. I think she'll enjoy it more that way."

"Okay," Carlos said, surprised at how steady his voice was, given how much he wanted to throw up.

Mal turned to him, face blank. "Before I forget," she began as she walked toward him, a faint smile on her face. "Good work," she said softly, her fingers caressing his hairline, "on making it possible for Jay to get the gold." She leaned in for a kiss, chaste but lingering. "That kind of gold he can be proud of." Her hand never left him, still caressing his skin.

Taking a deep breath, Carlos nodded, closing his eyes and leaning into her touch. He didn't deserve it, but he could work harder to be what she wanted, to be what Evie and Jay needed. After everything he'd done, every mistake he'd made, he could do that for them.

He'd always strive to be useful to them.

———

Evie looked at herself in the mirror, face blank as she studied her body, naked and stripped of her makeup. She didn't recoil at the sight of her scars anymore, but she wasn't exactly thrilled with them either. Still, she'd come a long way since first seeing them in Auradon's light, and she had Mal to thank for that.

Jay and Carlos, too, as they didn't throw her away when they first saw the scars as well; they hadn't even pressed her for information. She didn't know what she did to deserve any of them.

And Carlos, she thought with a dreamy sigh, her hand traveling to her inner thighs, warmth still in her belly at the feeling of Carlos taking her from behind. She hadn't expected him to do that, certainly didn't expect him to be so passionate about it.

(She didn't know how she would repay him for taking her mind off of the image of Chad's smiling face when Audrey kissed him, off of the thought of how easy it had been for Audrey to kiss him in the first place.

She knew, after the stupid prank during the Halloween Ball, that Chad saw nothing in her worth anything, not her mind and not her body, but to be so thoroughly rejected had cut deep.)

And Mal, she thought with a shiver, the thought of Mal watching them, approving of their passion, was enough to make Evie wet again, but it also made her heart swell. After all, Mal had flat out said she liked to see their enjoyment.

(And in her devastation, Evie had felt Mal's hand in hers, and that was enough to give her strength, to give her time to act and gather her wits, at least until she could make it back to the dorm room.)

"Good to know we're not a burden," she murmured to her reflection, a smile breaking out. Mal said to ready herself, and so she was; she looked like a different person altogether, and Evie, for the first time, didn't mind being au naturel.

The door opening startled her, and she turned to see Carlos shutting the door behind him, leaning against it and staring at her with wide eyes.

"Carlos?" Evie said, alarmed.

"Jay knocked on the door with Ben," Carlos said in a rush.

Wasting no time, Evie turned to the bathroom mirror, holding her arms out. " _Come to me now, spirit of the magic mirror, for I wish to see beyond the door!_ "

The mirror's surface bubbled and smoothed out, reflecting the scene just outside the bathroom, clear as if they were present.

_Jay had just finished laughing at something, clearly trying to ease the tension in Mal's shoulders, to no avail. Mal's attention was primarily on Ben, who smiled charmingly at both of them._

"Wow, Evie..." Carlos muttered, huddling close to her in time to see Jay clearing his throat.

_"So," Jay began, gaze shifting from Mal to Ben and back, "Ben has something he wanted to ask you."_

_Mal raised her eyebrow. "Oh, really," she said flatly. "Do tell."_

_Nodding, Ben straightened, glancing at Jay as he took a breath. "Mal," he said, attention focused on her once more, "would you like to go out on a date with me tomorrow afternoon?" He took another breath, expression hopeful as he awaited her answer._

"Oh my God," Evie whispered, linking her arm with Carlos' and pulling him closer. "How is he so pretty?" She couldn't stop smiling. This is how royalty should behave, she thought, unable to get enough of Ben's polite and hopeful stance.

Carlos snorted, but he remained silent as they watched Mal open her mouth.

_"A date," Mal repeated, blinking at Ben._

_"Yes," Ben said, nervousness settling into his bearing, "but if you're busy, I completely understand—"_

_"She's free," Jay said, nearly blurting the words out. He cleared his throat. "Since, you know, she didn't get a dance," he continued, looking pointedly at Mal, a grin slowly forming on his lips._

Evie's hold on Carlos tightened as she studied Mal's face. What was Jay thinking; she looks like she's getting angry, she thought, worried.

_"If you're free," Ben said, brow creasing slightly as he looked between Jay and Mal, "but still don't want to go, I completely understand that as well." He smiled, soft but resigned._

_And Mal paused, face blank in consideration._

Mal, don't you dare turn him down, Evie thought vigorously. So what if Ben were under a spell? His face was too pretty to turn down. Evie wouldn't, that was certain.

_Mal glanced right at them, as if she knew they were watching the scene, but she refocused her attention back on Ben. "Well," she began, face blank, "I suppose I have nothing better to do."_

_Though her expression was neutral, the way her eyes searched his face gave away her own nerves._

_"Really?" Ben said, his smile lighting up his entire face, reaching his eyes._

_Mal's lips twitched, but Evie couldn't tell if it were in annoyance or not. "Yes, really," she said, glancing at Jay when he grinned wider. "In the afternoon, you said?"_

_Nodding, Ben said, "I can pick you up at noon, if you'd like."_

_"Sure," Mal said with a smile. She glanced at Jay. "Why doesn't Jay escort you out, and I'll see you tomorrow."_

_Ben smiled, nodding again, and he let Jay take him by the arm as they walked to the door. "See you tomorrow, Mal," Ben said when Jay held the door for him, waving even as Jay closed it._

Evie nearly groaned. "He is too pretty," she said with a sigh, already fantasizing about what kind of date Ben liked.

"He's in trouble," Carlos murmured.

"Ben will be fine," Evie said softly, wondering why Carlos cared now when he never cared at all what Mal did to anyone. After all, Mal couldn't do any serious damage to Ben; they needed him for their task.

Snorting, Carlos shook his head. "I meant Jay."

Blinking, Evie looked into the mirror's surface, watching how Jay slowly turned around to face Mal. Well, this could get ugly, she thought, and with that, she rushed out of the bathroom.

"Mal," Evie began, hoping to diffuse any tension lingering into the room. She was naked, after all.

A fact that Jay blinked at, a slow grin forming on his lips. "Well," he said, arms crossed as he leaned against the door, "it seems like I interrupted something."

Evie smirked, waggling her eyebrows a little, before she focused back on Mal. "I'm so excited! Can I pick your outfit? Can I do your hair?" She couldn't help the bounce in her step as she moved closer to Mal.

At least one of them would get to go on an authentic Auradonian date.

Mal's gaze traveled from Jay to Evie, and she blinked slowly. "If you'd like," she murmured, glancing at Carlos when he came out of the bathroom, just shy of shuffling his feet. "However, I think we _were_ in the middle of something." She placed her hand on Evie's cheek.

Something trickled down Evie's spine, a kind of warm, featherlight touch, at the way Mal spoke, at the way she moved, and she shivered when Mal's fingers traveled down to her neck. Evie licked her lips. "Mal?"

Mal didn't answer right away, instead opting to continue tracing Evie's skin. Her eyes flickered to Carlos, like she was bored. "Carlos," she murmured, her hand still caressing Evie's neck, "you still have on your jacket and boots."

Blinking, Evie looked at Carlos, puzzled. What could that mean, she thought, gaze flickering to Jay before shifting back to Mal. She knew Mal had asked Carlos to fuck her again, but why would Mal only want him to remove his jacket and boots?

Carlos, though, seemed to snap out of whatever small uncertainty had settled over him, and he began shrugging out of his jacket, kicking off his boots as he made his way to the bed.

"Come here, Jay," Mal murmured, deceptively soft for a command, and she took Evie's hand, guiding her to the bed as well.

Is she going to tell Jay to join in, Evie thought, already becoming wet at the idea.

Jay moved toward them with slow steps, curious but eyes dark with arousal. He stopped in front of them, awaiting further instruction.

Mal leaned in close, her lips grazing Evie's ear as she spoke. "Strip him, but do not touch skin."

Shivering, Evie did as told, removing Jay's jacket, gazing into Jay's eyes, watching as they became darker as she pulled off his shirt. She watched his adam's apple bob when she reached for his jeans, could tell he wanted to lean in when she undid the button and unzipped them.

But Mal stood close, a watchful and critical eye on them both, and it made Evie's heart race, the anticipation of it all overheating her. She knelt, pulling his boots off, one right after the other, taking his socks next, and she took care as she tugged his jeans down, letting him step out of them.

The way Jay swallowed, his arousal obvious through his underwear, only fanned the fire in Evie's belly, and she bit her lip as she pulled down his briefs, making sure her fingers never touched his skin, refraining from leaning in to kiss his half hard cock.

Gathering his clothes, Evie stood and placed them on the table. She turned back to Jay and hesitated as her eyes settled on his necklace, and she glanced at Mal for instruction.

"Leave it," Mal murmured, admiring her handiwork.

Now that Jay stood before them fully nude, Evie walked back to Mal and waited. 

"Very good," Mal said, voice velvet, and she took Evie's hand and led her to the edge of the bed, made her sit with her legs spread, her fingers tracing circles on the skin of Evie's inner thigh.

She glanced at Jay, her fingers never pausing. "Can you kneel for me, Jay?"

Evie's eyes widened, both at the request and the fact that Mal's fingers had slipped inside of her as it was uttered, and she couldn't help but moan as she watched Jay track Mal's movements.

After a moment, Jay slowly made his way to his knees, licking his lips as his gaze shifted from Evie to Mal and back.

Mal hummed, a pleased little noise, and she drove her fingers in deeper, curling them just so that had Evie shuddering. "Spread your legs for us, Jay," Mal said, composed and authoritative. "Present yourself, let us see your arousal."

Shivering, Jay sat back on his heels and spread his thighs, his dick already leaking.

Mal gave a small, brief nod, and she scissored her fingers, drawing out a low moan from Evie. When she spoke, she addressed Jay, but her fingers never stopped their movement. "I want you to keep your eyes on Evie."

Jay swallowed, nodding, his hands opening and closing on his knees, moving higher by a fraction.

Chuckling, Mal shook her head. "Keep your eyes on her, but you're not allowed to touch yourself."

A short, abrupt whine left Jay as his body trembled, but he nodded, swallowing again.

The sight of him, obedient and on display, so visibly aroused by that fact, made Evie groan.

Evie gasped when Mal flicked her wrist before pulling her hand away from Evie's cunt, and Evie licked her lips as Mal leaned in close.

"On all fours," she whispered, nipping Evie's earlobe before she moved away.

Oh fuck me, Evie thought as she complied, anticipation making her shiver.

Another whine from Jay caught her attention, and Evie followed his line of sight, glancing over her shoulder to see Mal by Carlos, to see Carlos licking and sucking Mal's fingers clean, and Evie couldn't keep the moan from leaving her mouth.

Mal's eyes landed on her at the sound, and her eyebrow quirked. With her free hand, she smacked Evie's ass, two hits in quick succession.

Evie nearly came right then and there.

"Look forward, princess," Mal instructed, her hand ghosting over the skin she had hit. "We don't want Jay to miss your expression when Carlos enters you."

Shuddering, Evie faced forward, looking Jay in his dark, dark eyes, the anticipation once again eating at her, a flame burning bright in her belly.

Silence filled the room for a few, long seconds, Mal's murmuring in Carlos' ear too indistinct for Evie to decipher.

"Pay attention, Jay," was all the warning Evie had.

And then she was full, Carlos entering her to the hilt, drawing out a long, low groan from the back of Evie's throat, and she could feel herself actually drooling with the pleasure, her entire body shaking as it adjusted.

Fuck, she wanted the sensation to never end.

She moaned as Carlos started moving without warning, setting a pace that was deep, was rough, right from the beginning, and Evie couldn't _think_ , and she was definitely drooling now, head bowed as Carlos sent a jolt of pleasure through her with each thrust.

"Tell Jay how it feels, Evie," Mal said, voice a purr, as her hand lifted Evie's chin.

"God, I'm s-so full, Jay," Evie gasped out, barely able to hold herself up. "So hard and deep — f-fuck — I'm, I can't, fuck—" She didn't understand it; she could hardly keep a coherent thought.

Carlos gripped her thighs and pulled her back, and she _sang_ , falling onto the mattress, lost to the pleasure Carlos stirred inside of her as he fucked her, as he rut into her, hard and deep.

" _Fuck_ ," Evie moaned, gripping the sheets to steady herself, to clear the haze in her mind, but it didn't help. Rarely did Carlos show this side of himself, rarely was he so single minded when fucking, so precise and focused, and he was setting her on fire.

"Pull her back, Carlos," Mal instructed, her voice husky, faraway. "Show Jay what he's missing."

Carlos gripped her upper arms and pulled, and Evie moaned as she went back, the sensation of his clothes scraping against her bare skin electric, and Evie opened her eyes to look at Jay, feeling overheated and exposed as she arched into each of Carlos' thrusts.

Jay whined, his cock twitching, so hard it looked painful, but he remained still even as his breaths turned shallow, his focus on Evie despite the fact that Mal now stood by his side.

"You can't decide who you envy more, can you," Mal murmured, her hand in Jay's hair, her eyes dark. "You can't decide whose place you wish to take." She balled her fist, tipping his head back, eliciting a moan. "You crave to be in the middle, don't you?"

Evie couldn't help but moan at that thought, at that _image_ , and she groaned, shuddering all over as Carlos thrust into her deeper, harsher, as he practically made her bounce on his cock.

"But you won't be," Mal said as she knelt down, her lips so close to Jay's ear. "Not yet. You have to earn it."

Jay moaned, a shudder overtaking him, and he looked so desperate, so beside himself, so eager to come, his eyes so dark.

If Evie didn't know any better, she'd say he was the one being so utterly fucked right then.

It just made her hotter, made her dizzy with lust.

"Show me, Jay," Mal urged, her hands massaging his pecs, "show me how good you can be." Her fingers took hold of his nipples, rubbing, tweaking, and Jay whined, stomach falling and rising in rapid breaths. "Show me, Jay."

Jay whined, high from the back of his throat, body tensing as he _came_ without Mal ever touching his cock, without any stimulation other than Mal's words and her hands on his nipples.

Mal glanced at Evie then, a smirk so proud, so wicked on her face that Evie whined herself.

"Finish inside her, Carlos," Mal said sweetly.

And then Carlos was once again pressing Evie into the mattress, but that didn't stop her moans, didn't stop the _keen_ from leaving her mouth as Carlos fucked her hard and deep as he came, and Evie shuddered, gripping the sheet so tight they might rip as her own release followed, her body trembling as Carlos finally slowed his movements to a halt, as he gently sprawled himself on top of Evie.

I have no words, she thought, mind hazy but body cosy under Carlos' weight, his breathing almost lulling.

Mal could be heard whispering soothings to Jay, and Jay's only response were tiny whimpers.

Evie panted, unable to catch her breath, unsure if she even wanted to. "That... was so... hot," she said in between breaths, shivering when Carlos shifted slightly. "All of... you..."

Mal smiled as she pet Jay's hair, Jay himself still shivering, his eyes closed as he leaned against Mal, his stomach rising and falling as he steadily got his breathing even.

They stayed like that, catching their breaths and regaining their senses, for an amount of time that was lost on Evie, and she had nearly been dozing when Carlos' voice broke the silence.

"You really don't show any mercy, do you, Mal," Carlos murmured, half into Evie's skin.

Huffing, Mal shrugged. "Only when I think you deserve it." She lifted Jay's chin, watched as he blinked slowly, and she smiled, her thumb brushing against his skin. "And you all did deserve it, for pushing me into this date thing."

Jay huffed, light and quick, and he leaned into her more, practically nuzzling her hand.

Evie's heart fluttered as she watched Mal's expression soften, as she watched Mal indulge Jay.

She loved Mal like that, and she knew exactly how Jay felt in that moment.

Carlos kissed her shoulder before hoisting himself up, careful and gentle as he kissed along her spine when he gingerly pulled out of her, sending lovely little tremors throughout her body.

"'m lucky," Jay murmured, a sigh leaving his lips as Mal caressed his cheek, "I don't have shit to do today..." He blinked, full awareness returning to his eyes, and a grin slowly appeared on his face. "Fuck, Mal, you're amazing."

Mal snorted. "Thanks, I try," she said, deadpan, and she ruffled Jay's hair before she moved from behind him, making sure he could sit up on his own before stepping away. "Now, up. You and Carlos need a shower."

"And whose fault is that," Carlos mumbled, a pout to his lips as he carefully got off the bed, legs a little shaky.

Evie couldn't fault that at all; she knew she wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

"I believe I said it was all of yours," Mal said sweetly. "Just make sure neither of you slip in the shower."

"What about Evie?" Jay said as he gingerly got to his feet, wobbling more visibly than Carlos had.

"I'll take care of her," Mal said, and as she looked her way, Evie shivered.

Carlos let his fingers ghost over Evie's skin as he passed, and he lightly held onto Jay as they made their way to the bathroom, and it surprised Evie that Jay allowed himself to show such blatant weakness — not that he had made big fusses about it before, but there had always been a hesitancy to Jay.

Now, he leaned against Carlos without question, without any tension to his body.

The door to the bathroom closed, and Evie remained quiet, watching Mal watch her.

"You okay?" she asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed, her hands in her lap.

Humming, Evie nodded. "More than, in fact," she said, giving Mal a smile. "That was an intense orgasm."

Huffing quietly, Mal smiled, her fingers tracing Evie's spine. "Figured you'd like it," she murmured.

Evie let out a long, wistful sigh at Mal's touch. "Did you figure on Jay liking it as much as he did?"

Mal grinned as she nodded. "I did. He's doing much better."

"Good," Evie said, relieved. "And the Ben situation?"

Smile fading, Mal sighed. "That's still something that needs work."

Biting her bottom lip, Evie scooted closer, resting her head on Mal's thigh, humming softly when Mal placed a hand on her head. "I don't think it'll be a big problem. At least, not as big as both you and he are making it."

They sat in silence for several moments, listening to the spray of the shower as Mal carded her fingers through Evie's hair, and Evie found herself dozing, content and warm despite being fully nude.

"We'll see..." came Mal's voice, so low and quiet that Evie wasn't sure if the words were spoken at all.

We'll see, she thought, agreeing with Mal's sentiment, wondering if everything would truly be fine now that the love spell was in place.

Evie nuzzled Mal's thigh, eyes closed, and she hoped.

———

Almost all of his life, Ben had felt trapped.

He didn't fully understand it when he was younger, didn't see his guards as anything more than people to play with or read to, didn't understand why someone tasted his food before he ate, didn't catch how his mother's smile would fade slightly whenever he turned his back, didn't get that his dad smiled at him for a reason that had more to do with fatherly love.

It wasn't until he grew older that he began to piece things together, began to realize that his father was no ordinary man — was High King of the United Sovereignties of Auradon, and had been since the kingdoms were united under one banner, despite his blood being less than royal — that his father had a plan up his sleeve.

It started with the lessons. His father saw to it that he had the best tutors, saw to it that Ben was instructed in the etiquette and strategy of the court, saw to it that Ben cultivated the skill to rule at a young age. The history of the many kingdoms of Auradon, the battles fought, the deals made between the kingdoms, the lineages of all royal and noble houses, all of it was forced into Ben's head to the point where it was almost stifling.

His father accepted nothing less than perfection from him, and some nights the lessons would never end.

Ben's only reprieve was his mother.

Belle had given him something greater than any lesson of the court; she'd given him a book, and with it, a love for reading. He'd curl up by her side, well after he reached an age where such acts were deemed immature, and he'd read with her, to her, and she'd move his hair out of his eyes and kiss the top of his head.

Ben loved his mother with all of his heart. He inspired to be just like her, in her mind and in her heart, to be able to look past someone's appearance and circumstance and see the soul within, because he knew that no other way would be acceptable to treat his fellow man — and his fellow creatures, deemed lower than man, lower than high-born.

He vowed he wouldn't treat anyone or anything less than how he'd like to be treated.

Because he knew, in his heart, that was the _right_ thing to do.

—

When he went before the council summit, thankful that they made his father recuse himself for being his blood but wishing they had allowed his mother to at least be present, Ben faced their examination with a brave face he didn't quite feel.

He answered their questions, solved their proposed problems, handled their stimulated tense situations; he used the knowledge his father had crammed into his brain, yes, because to ignore history was to repeat it, but he also used that belief — _do unto others as you'd want done to you_ — as a core part of his reasoning.

And whether or not an answer or solution he gave was met with favor, Ben owned his decision, accepting the good with humility and the bad with responsibility. He would not allow himself to be passive, but he also would not allow himself to be so aggressive as to harm, in any fashion, the other party.

At the time, Ben wasn't sure he had proved his worthiness of the High Crown to the council summit, most of whom were rulers of their respective kingdoms since before he was born, because he wasn't as cunning or as aggressive or as firm as his father had wanted him to be, had lectured him to be. In fact, he'd been fully prepared for the council summit to announce Audrey, or Aziz at least, as Auradon's next leader, but then the Fairy Godmother had come to him with the news.

Ben had never been more nervous, more scared in his life.

Especially when his father had grinned.

—

It was that same belief in what was the right thing to do that led him to create and enact his first official proclamation without his father's explicit approval.

If he were to be king, he would use that power for something great, for something that was actually good.

(Though he had always looked toward the island and felt like its inhabitants received the short end of the stick, Ben could also admit to himself that the reason he finally decided to commit to his idea was because he had begun to have dreams of a girl with pale skin, intense green eyes, and purple hair.

He could admit to himself that the intensity of her gaze, that look of searching for something more, was what transfixed him into wanting to know more, not just about her, but about life on the island in general.

He hadn't been properly prepared for what he'd find. The reality of the island horrified him, and his resolve to put forth his proclamation only grew stronger.)

—

If, up until that point, he had felt trapped, then Ben felt as free as a skybird after the championship tourney game, singing his heart out to Mal.

Who knew that being true to his feelings would feel so good?

And to top it all off, Mal had said yes! She had agreed to take him as a partner. He didn't even think she liked him.

Sure, he had sung to her — told her his real, true feelings in a ridiculous tune — but Ben had figured that any feelings between them would be unrequited on his end, and to know that Mal was willing to give him a chance made his heart soar.

He needed to thank Carlos. He needed to thank Jay. They were great. They were wonderful. They gave him the courage and opportunity to finally confess his feelings.

And now, he was about forty-five minutes away from his first date with Mal.

He definitely needed to thank Carlos and Jay before it began.

Ben made his way across the campus, not paying any mind to the looks his peers sent his way; nothing could dampen his smile, not this day. He'd had gotten up early to prepare everything, lamenting the fact that he hadn't thought to put more _thought_ into it; he should have made sure everything was perfect for their date.

Too late to worry about it now, he thought, trying to be pleasant as he entered the freshman dormitory, nodding to the few students roaming the halls. Not many people stayed indoors on a Saturday, after all.

When he reached their room, he almost barged in. Whoa there, Benjamin, just because you've found out that the girl you sorta fell for at first sight returns your feelings doesn't mean you can just waltz right into her friends' room, he thought, scolding himself as he knocked on the door, nearly bouncing on his heels.

There was a small commotion as he waited, and when the door opened, Ben's smile widened. It was Carlos!

Carlos, who was wearing his shirt inside out and who had very red cheeks, blinked in surprise at Ben before slowly opening the door, letting him in. "It's Ben," he called behind his shoulder.

As he walked into the room, Ben noticed Jay sigh, sitting up in his bed, shirtless and under the covers. 

"Dude, you have the worst timing," Jay said, giving Ben a lazy wave.

"Oh?" Ben said, blinking; Jay did seem a little flustered. "I could come back later?"

"It's _fine_ ," Carlos said before Jay could open his mouth, and he sent a look toward Jay before turning his attention back to Ben. "So, what's up?"

Ben smiled. And then he hugged Carlos, laughing and barely hearing Carlos' squawk of surprise. "Thank you for encouraging me, Carlos!" he said as he held Carlos at arm's length by the shoulders, and Ben felt like he could kiss the boy in gratitude. Or dance with him at the very least.

Too bad Carlos didn't like any of that.

"Encouraging?" Jay asked, an amused grin on his face. "For what?"

Ben turned to Jay, smile widening. "For focusing on tourney." When Jay merely blinked at him, he elaborated. "Carlos told me that if I focused on tourney, if I helped the team win the championship, I could confess my feelings to Mal!"

Jay's grin widened, and he looked at Carlos in surprise. "Carlos said that?" He laughed when Carlos' red cheeks became redder. "Oh man. That is _priceless_. The one person Mal was counting on to be _discreet_." He laughed again.

"Knock it off, Jay," Carlos muttered.

"I'm not going to laugh at you," Ben said as he wrapped an arm around Carlos' shoulders. "You helped me gather my nerve to confess!"

"Yeah, sure, I helped, congrats," Carlos said, gently brushing off Ben's arm and glaring at Jay when he laughed some more.

Speaking of Jay, Ben thought as he turned to the boy. "And you! You helped me as well!" Ben said as he moved closer to Jay's bed. "If you hadn't helped win the championship, I wouldn't have been able to confess."

"Whoa, whoa," Jay said hurriedly, holding one hand up as the other pulled the covers around him some more. "Don't think you want to hug me. Got no clothes on under here."

It's nearly noon, wish I could sleep in like that, Ben thought pleasantly. "I don't mind you being naked, but if it bothers you, I don't have to hug you right now." Ben smiled. "I've always wanted to try sleeping in the nude, but you never know when you'll be awoken, you know?"

The last thing he needed was someone waking him for some urgent business only for it to be revealed he had on no pajamas.

Jay blinked at him before bursting out in laughter. "Oh man, I like this side of him."

"What, the unadulterated thoughts that come with having no filter?" Carlos said, equally amused.

Ben cocked his head to the side. "Should I filter myself in front of you?" He didn't see why he should. After all, if Mal trusted them, he certainly could.

Besides, he had already trusted them way before Mal had said yes.

Jay shrugged, leaning back against the headboard. "I'd say no. I'm cool with you spewing shit at us."

"You should probably filter yourself around others, though," Carlos said. "Just something to think about."

"Okay," Ben said simply. It did sound like a good idea. He'd come to realize that the four of them didn't really judge too harshly, not like the those raised in Auradon, so not filtering his thoughts around them was a great idea.

Plus, now he could be more free with himself around them. They were all great.

Clearing his throat, Carlos spoke. "So, is that the only reason you came here?" He glanced at Jay.

"Pretty much," Ben said, smiling at them. He liked being around them. He was so glad they liked being around him. "Oh! I want to ask if either of you minded me asking Mal out."

"Why would we mind?" Carlos asked.

"You might have had plans, you might not want me dating Mal, you might—"

"Stop," Jay interrupted, sitting up again. "Are you saying that if we didn't, I don't know, approve of you dating Mal, you'd drop it?"

Ben frowned — not at Jay. Not at Carlos either. He'd never frown at them. No, instead, he was frowning at the prospect of ending things with Mal now that they've only just begun. "Well, I'd definitely be a little upset, but I would talk it out with each of you, and if any of you had a problem with it, well, I'd back off."

Carlos raised an eyebrow. "This coming from the guy who went behind his parents' back with the proclamation?"

Ben tilted his head, mildly confused. Carlos seemed to have a fixation on the way he sent out his proclamation. "That's different. That was for the benefit of your well-being. Forcing my feelings, on Mal or any of you, wouldn't be beneficial to you."

And that was something that Ben refused to do, not after growing up with his father, not after looking into the island.

A silence settled over them, and, after clearing his throat, Jay asked, "What did you have in mind for the date?"

Brightening, Ben sat on Jay's bed. "I was thinking a picnic with all sorts of fruits and pastries and then maybe—"

"So you're gonna feed her?" Jay asked, blinking at him.

Ben blinked back. "Is that bad? Does she not like food?"

"Well, we're not exactly... used to it?" Carlos said slowly as he sat on the other bed. He scratched the back of his head. "Hell, I don't think anyone's ever fed Mal in her life."

"I'm sorry," Ben said, good mood dampening. Of course, how could I forget something as important as that, he thought, second guessing his plans. Would Mal take offense?

"It's fine," Carlos said quickly, physically waving the issue away. "I mean, we can get food here just fine, right, Jay?"

"Yeah," Jay agreed, waving it away as well, "and I get us all food sometimes, so it's sorta like feeding her, right?"

Ben watched Jay nod to himself, and his mood lightened once more. "That's right. And if you ever need or want to try anything special, just let me know. I'll be glad to get it for you."

"Yeah?" Jay said as a grin slowly spread across his lips. "How about some of your special sauce?" He winked at Ben. Then he laughed as Carlos threw a pillow at him.

I don't get the joke but okay, Ben thought as he said, "Well, I don't really have any special recipes up my sleeve. I mean, I'm a decent cook, but only if I have instructions. So—"

"It's okay, Ben," Carlos said with a sigh, "he was just joking."

"Was I," Jay purred, winking at Ben again.

Before Ben could respond to that, Carlos threw another pillow at Jay. "Don't throw things," he said mildly.

"Yeah, Carlos," Jay said with a grin, "especially since I don't think you'd mind his special sauce either."

"Jay!" Carlos practically hissed, turning redder as he glanced briefly at Ben, as if he were panicked.

Why would that make him panic, Ben thought, puzzled. "Both of you can have it," he said instead, "I wouldn't mind giving it to you." He'd be happy to give them anything they'd want. It would be the least he could do.

Both Carlos and Jay stared at him for a few long seconds before Jay groaned, covering his face with his hand.

"That's what you get," Carlos mumbled, but he quickly stood up, grabbing Ben by the hand, tugging. "Well, Ben, you don't want to be late for your big date."

Oh, that's right, Ben thought as he let Carlos drag him off of Jay's bed. "Thank you so much, Carlos," Ben said, taking both of Carlos' hands in his own. "I appreciate you so much."

Carlos, cheeks tinting pink, licked his lips, eyes dropping to their hands, and he swallowed. "T-thanks, Ben. Go, uh, have fun with Mal." He gently tugged his hands out of Ben's, and he lightly pushed Ben toward the door.

"Okay," Ben said agreeably. "Oh, wait." Walking back to Jay's bed, blinking curiously as Jay eyed him with suspicion, Ben gently took Jay's hands in his own, just as he did with Carlos. "Thank you too, Jay," he said sincerely, resisting the urge to kiss the back of Jay's hands; he couldn't do it with Carlos because he'd notice that Carlos didn't like people outside of Jay, Evie, and Mal touching him, but with Jay, who was always tactile, the temptation was high. "I appreciate you so much as well."

Jay's mouth opened slightly as he stared at Ben, and it looked like he wanted to say, or do, something, but he shook his head gently. "Go—" Jay cleared his throat, and it did sound like he was hoarse. "Go on, Mal's probably waiting."

Ben smiled as he nodded, moving away from Jay, not quite ready to let his hands go just yet. But as Jay let him leave, and as he didn't want to keep Mal waiting on their first date (he'd never want her to wait on any of their dates), Ben walked to the door, lightly placing a hand on Carlos' shoulder as he passed. "See you both later," he said to them, smiling as they gave him small waves, and then he was out the door.

—

The longer he stared at the door, the more scattered Ben's nerves became.

Sure, he had been looking forward to this moment, couldn't stop the giddiness fluttering within him whenever he thought about it, but now that he had actually arrived to pick Mal up, he almost felt sick.

What if he had imagined the whole thing? What if this were just another dream?

Stop overthinking everything, he thought, scolding himself as he knocked. Even if it were another dream, Ben felt he could indulge for once in his life.

The door opened, and Evie smiled at him, looking as giddy as he felt. "Hello, Ben," she said.

Ben smiled, all the worries and doubts he had disappearing now that he was face to face with Evie's brilliance. "Hello, Evie. You look lovely as ever." And it was true; Ben often wondered how Evie managed to make looking as good as she did so effortless.

Standing straighter, almost preening, at his compliment, Evie opened the door further, taking a step back to reveal Mal.

In a dress.

Wow, was all his brain could supply him with, and as he took in her slight discomfort, a part of him was touched that she'd go through that for him.

After all, he wasn't anything special.

"You are beautiful," he said softly, afraid to add to her discomfort, but to his great relief, she merely rolled her eyes at his words, and with that action, calmed his nerves.

"Where are you two going?" Evie asked, still giddy as she gestured for Mal to come closer.

Ben smiled. "It's a surprise. But don't worry," he added when Mal quirked an eyebrow, "it's one of my favorite places, so it's not filled with people."

"Not a big people person," Mal said, the disbelief clear on her face.

Shrugged, Ben offered her his arm, knowing it was a long shot that she'd actually take it. "I've been alone most of my life, really, so it's what I'm used to."

Both Mal and Evie blinked at him, a crease forming on Mal's brow, a frown forming on Evie's lips.

"What?" he prompted, wondering what he did wrong.

"Nothing," Mal said, averting her eyes as she gently pushed his arm down to his side. "I don't think I'm ready for the arm thing just yet."

Smiling, Ben nodded. "Figured trying wouldn't hurt anything." He inclined his head toward Evie. "We'll be off now, Your Royal Highness."

The smile Evie gave him was more brilliant than all the stars in the night sky, and he marveled at it, committing it to memory.

Mal huffed, clearly amused, more focused on Evie, and she nodded before walking down the hall.

Realizing that he would now be all alone with Mal, on their first date, Ben's nerves began to scatter again, and he swallowed.

A hand on his arm prevented Ben from following Mal, and he turned, blinking at Evie. "Yes?" he prompted, confused by the slight crease to her brow. Had he done something to upset her?

She didn't answer right away, instead studying him for a few seconds, but she gave him a smile. "Breathe, Ben," she said softly, squeezing his arm. "You don't have to be nervous."

Touched by her concern, Ben brought her hand to his lips, kissing her smooth skin. "Thank you, Evie," he said sincerely; something about her just calmed him, and he was so grateful for it. "I hope you have a good day while she's gone."

"And I hope your date goes well," Evie said, bringing her hand up to caress his cheek, sadness on the edges of her smile.

He didn't like that look on her, wanted to do something to make her smile fully, but she pushed him forward, pushed him toward Mal, waving them both off.

"Couldn't tear yourself away, hm?" Mal said when he joined her side, the corner of her lips twitching upward. "Don't blame you there."

"Will she be okay?" he asked quietly, wondering if he could; he recalled Evie's face when Audrey and Chad had kissed.

"She's genuinely excited for us," Mal said, staring straight ahead, "but she wishes she could go on a date as well."

Maybe she can, Ben thought. It didn't seem so farfetched to him, given how much Mal liked Evie, so he was sure she wouldn't mind if he asked to include Evie on a future date — if there were any future dates, that is, he thought.

"You told me once that you could stand to be alone more," Mal said as they walked down the stairs, "and yet you just told us that you're used to being alone." Her unspoken accusation lingered in the air as she glanced at him.

"Exactly," Ben said, unfazed. At her unimpressed blink, he elaborated. "I grew up by myself, really, and I only interacted with my parents or my tutors, seeing as I was homeschooled. Being surrounded by others and kept busy is a fairly recent development for me."

He held the door open for her, smiling easily despite the fact that he had opened up so easily to her; he usually kept things inside, being the coward he was — he even shocked himself by confessing to Mal like he did.

Something had obviously come over him recently, and he wasn't sure if he should be grateful or not.

"Nice ride," Mal said when he brought her to the blue scooter he was given on his birthday (his father had insisted it was a bike, but Ben knew the truth), tone pleasant but smirk teasing.

Unable to stop the grin from spreading on his cheeks, Ben just laughed as he offered her the spare helmet, his grin widening when she rolled her eyes but took it anyway.

Something had obviously come over him recently, and he was leaning more and more toward gratitude that it happened.

—

"This is where you kill me, right," Mal said as they came to the bridge, glancing down the cliff's edge.

"Shouldn't that be my line," Ben said, not even trying to hide his teasing, as he finished placing the helmets onto his scooter; they wouldn't be needing any of it in order to get to the lake, and he wanted to make sure they were secure enough should an animal decide it wanted to play.

Huffing, Mal glanced at him over her shoulder. "That would be rude of me, considering you're the one who asked me out." A smirk formed on her lips as she looked back to the bridge.

Ben laughed, any remaining tension or doubt dissipating. Evie was right; all he had to do was breathe. "Are you uneasy, though, about crossing?" he asked, growing serious and concerned, and he walked up beside her. "It _is_ a little high."

Glancing back down the cliff, Mal shrugged. "It's the river that concerns me, not the height of the bridge."

Following her gaze, Ben watched the river for a few seconds, noting that it made no secret of its current, so he could understand Mal's trepidation. "Don't worry," he said as he focused on her again, "I've crossed this bridge many times. It won't fail you."

Eyebrow raised, Mal gave a half-hearted shrug, and she stepped forward, taking the lead across the bridge. "Crossed many times," she echoed, making her way across with a saunter. "To one of your favorite places."

"Still a surprise," Ben said with a smile, most of his attention focused on her footing, just in case anything gave way. "So I'm afraid you just have to wait."

"Sneaky doesn't become you," Mal said, but she was still smirking, so Ben counted that as a win.

"And what becomes me then?" he asked, still smiling.

"That shirt," Mal answered as she turned to him, now walking backwards.

"My shirt," Ben echoed, amused. He wondered why, wondered if the particular shade of blue were to her liking; if so, that would benefit him, as he seemed to own many shades of blue.

Nodding, Mal let her eyes roam over him. "That outfit as a whole. It's so clear cut and pristine. It's easy to tell why Jay was thrown off."

Her words surprised him; he hadn't noticed Jay acting that strangely around him before. "Should I not dress this way?"

Mal chuckled, shrugging. "I'm tempted to say yes, just to see what other way you'd dress. However," she continued, a smirk appearing on her lips, "I'm also tempted to give you to Evie. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to dress you."

Something in the way she spoke told Ben that he was missing some kind of inside joke between the girls, but he didn't really mind it.

"So I have to watch how I dress," he said conversationally, both amused by the thought and concerned at how he could change it up a bit.

Snorting, Mal shook her head. "No, it's fine. Jay's cooled down enough that it probably doesn't bother him too much anymore." She turned back around. "And Evie might pout, and no one wants that."

That's true, he thought, recalling Evie's face when Chad kissed Audrey. And she brought up Jay again... I need to figure out what I've done, he thought as he watched her sway down the bridge.

"And Carlos?" he asked, curious.

She glanced at him, eyebrow raised. "What?"

"You said Jay's cooled down and that Evie would pout," he said, head tilting. "What would Carlos do?"

Mal smiled, amusement clear on her face. "Carlos wouldn't care."

"Fair enough," he said, smiling when she chuckled.

They managed to cross the bridge without any hiccups, and Ben led her down a semi-beaten path, growing more and more excited, and nervous, the nearer they got.

"Do you trust me?" Ben asked, offering his hands.

Staring, Mal hesitantly took them. "Yes..." Her eyes flickered to his for a moment before focusing back on their hands.

Smiling wide, Ben closed his hands around hers. "Close your eyes?"

Eyebrow raised, she regarded him, wary. "Part of the surprise?"

"Yes, but you don't have to, if you don't want to," he said honestly.

She looked at him for a long moment before slowly closing her eyes.

Heart swelling, Ben gently pulled her toward him. "Just follow my voice, okay?" When she nodded, he led her the remainder of the way to the lake, making sure to tell her if anything was in her way, making sure to guide her safely through the forest.

When they reached a close enough distance, Ben brought Mal in front of him, making sure to keep his hands on her shoulders in support when he felt her tense a fraction, and he took a small breath. "Okay, now you can open your eyes," he said softly, his focus entirely on her.

Mal did as told, and her mouth fell open slightly as she took in the lake, took in how peaceful and secluded the waters were, tinted green with the reflection of the surrounding trees and ferns. Tucked up against the lake was the remains of a pavilion, a few vine-wrapped columns still standing, holding part of a roof, the circular stone floor beneath smooth and decorated with the blanket and baskets Ben had set up earlier. She glanced at him, a smile forming on her lips, and she hesitantly made her way down to the stone floor.

Ben couldn't help but smile. His mother used to take him to this very spot when he was younger, reading him several books or watching him swim in the water. It was one of his favorite activities as a kid, coming to have picnics there.

Briefly, he wondered why they stopped.

"When did you set all this up?" Mal asked him as they got closer to the stone floor.

Ben looked at the arrangement. The lone table on the stone floor, being too small and restricting, he'd moved to the side so he could lay out a blanket for them to lounge on — an essential for picnicking. Along the blanket, he'd placed two baskets, one of which he filled with bread, lunch meats, and cheese and the other with pastries for dessert, and several bowls, which he filled with fruits. He'd brought several kinds of each food, as he was unsure which Mal preferred, and looking at it now, he wondered if perhaps he had brought too much. "Um, this morning."

Eyebrow raised, Mal whistled. "How'd you get it here?"

"Dr. Sweet helped me, actually," he answered as he gently took her hand, guiding her to some of the pillows he'd also brought; stone never stayed comfortable for long, after all.

"And he asked no questions?" Mal asked as she sat down, a bit awkward in trying to maneuver so that her skirt of her dress didn't ride up her thighs.

"Not really," Ben said with a smile as he moved to the table, intent to pour themselves a glass of lemonade. "In fact, he kept talking about being proud of me since, apparently, I was a late bloomer."

It was a little embarrassing, perhaps, but Ben had learned long ago that once Dr. Sweet got on a roll, it was hard to slow him down, so he had merely smiled as his favorite physician rambled on about the wonders of being young and in love and the silliness that ensued because of it.

Snorting, Mal said nothing as she took the glass he offered, blinking as she inspected its contents before taking a sip. She blinked some more, a little hum escaping her. "What is this?" she asked, studying the liquid.

"Lemonade," Ben answered as he unpacked one of the baskets, placing the lunch meats on a tray.

"What's that?" Mal asked before she took another sip.

"Turkey, ham, salami, roast beef," Ben listed off as he pointed to each, glancing at her with a smile, "all good ingredients for sandwich making."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "All of that goes into a sandwich?"

"They can, I guess, but I brought different kinds because I wasn't sure which one you'd like," Ben answered.

"Oh," Mal said, blinking at him before focusing on the lunch meats. She swallowed, and if Ben didn't know any better, he'd say she was caught off guard.

"We can split a sandwich," Ben offered. "You can pick whichever one you like to try, and once I make the sandwich, I'll cut it in half." He watched Mal debate before pointing to the roast beef.

"Do you always make your own food?" she asked as she studied the way he prepared the sandwich, looking oddly fascinated.

"No, but I do like being in the kitchen," Ben said with a smile. Some of his fondest memories were of their kitchen, his mother teaching him her methods and laughing at stories about his grandfather.

"And the bowls?" Mal asked with a glance at the fruit around the basket.

"I love fruit, especially oranges," Ben said, "but, again, I didn't know which you prefer."

Mal considered his words as her gaze fell on the other basket. "And that?" she asked as she gestured to it.

"Different desserts," Ben answered as he handed her a plate.

"Because you didn't know which one I'd like," Mal guessed, eyebrow raised and the corner of her mouth quirking upward as she accepted.

Smiling wide, Ben nodded. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

She shrugged, but that same quirk was still to her mouth. "All this trouble..." she murmured as she inspected the bit of sandwich.

"It wasn't trouble," Ben assured.

"When did you wake up for this?" Mal asked, apparently unconvinced with his statement, and she took a small bite, chewing thoughtfully.

"Six, but that's when I normally wake up on the weekends," he quickly assured, smiling at her.

Her expression told him she didn't believe him, but she continued eating without comment.

Giddiness overtaking him, Ben leaned in to mock-whisper, "Do you just want to try random things until you find something you like?" He couldn't help the grin on his face; he liked feeding Mal, liked offering her the kind of food that was nowhere on the island.

His giddiness must be amusing because the makings of a grin formed on Mal's lips, and she nodded.

Laughing quietly, Ben began offering random items to her, fruit and dessert alike, and Mal tried them the way Ben had seen some of the nobility try fine wine, acting as if each bite needed to be weighed and measured as painstakingly as possible; it made Ben laugh, his heart swelling with affection.

Surprisingly, Mal had liked the desserts more than anything, and she listened intently to Ben's explanations on what each were and how they were made. Her favorite seemed to be doughnuts, as she ate them without pretense, her guard down completely, so much so she nearly resembled a different person.

"Is this your first time?" Ben asked as she finished eating, endeared.

Mal hummed as she licked her thumb. "There isn't much dating on the island. It's more like..." She rubbed her hands together, getting rid of the excess sugar as she mulled over a word. "Gang activity," she settled on with a shrug.

Ben couldn't help but laugh at the matter-of-fact way Mal spoke. "Um, I meant: is this your first time eating a jelly doughnut?"

Blinking, Mal huffed, an amused little smile on her lips. "What gave it away?"

Chuckling, Ben shook his head. "Nothing, I was just curious." He sat straight, amused when she raised her eyebrow. "You do have some..." He gestured to his lips, smiling when she huffed and leaned in, expectant, so he gently brushed away the crumbs, amazed she let him. "Now go..." He licked his lips.

Mal did as told, a half-smile on her face. "You can't take me anywhere, I guess."

That isn't true, he thought, admiring her smile. "You know," Ben said, smiling as she tasted the power on the other doughnut on her plate, "I really don't know that much about you." He watched her hand pause. "Tell me something?"

"Well," she began, hesitant, "I'm sixteen, I'm an only child, and I've only ever lived in one place." She looked at him, giving him a half-hearted smile and shrug.

"Me, too," he said with a smile, hoping to comfort her, to at least make her smile. "We have so much in common already."

Mal laughed, shaking her head. "No. Trust me, we do _not_." She looked at him, assessing, expression pleasant but not giving anything away. "And now you're king."

Good mood evaporating, Ben glanced down. "Yeah..." He blinked, holding her gaze once more. This isn't about you; you have to make sure Mal is having a good time, he thought, even as he was unable to offer her a more genuine smile.

"What?" she asked, curious but more somber than before.

I should have known better than to hide anything from her, he thought, trying not to pick at the blanket. He'd always been a terrible liar and actor. "A crown doesn't make you a king." He couldn't even smile for her, the lectures from his childhood clouding his mind.

"Well, it kind of does," Mal said, eyebrow quirked a fraction.

"No, it..." Ben paused, trying to find adequate words for his muddled thoughts. "Your mother is Mistress of Evil, and I've got the poster parents for Goodness," he began, trying not to frown, "but we're not automatically like them. We get to choose who we're going to be." Ben looked at Mal, her eyes so bright, so beautiful. "And right now, I can look into your eyes, and I can tell you're not evil. I can see it."

Mal stared at him, the eyes he admired so much searching his face. She didn't say a word.

Sensing that he might have made her uncomfortable, Ben looked away to give her some space, opting to stare out into the lake. The thought striking him, he asked, "Wanna go for a swim?" He smiled at her, hoping she'd say yes. The water in the lake had always been the perfect temperature, no matter the season.

Mal's eyes widened. "No, no, I do not," she said, just shy of flippant.

"Are you sure?" Ben asked, studying her. "The water feels great." Belatedly, Ben realized that he had forgot to mention the possibility of swimming on this outing. Maybe she's worried about not having a bathing suit, he thought.

"I think I'll stay here," she said, glancing around the blanket. "You know, try a strawberry." With a little laugh, she reached for one.

"Positive?"

"Yeah, never had one that looked like this," Mal said as she hurriedly took a bite. Her eyes widened as she chewed, and she let out a pleased hum as she studied the strawberry.

"Don't eat them too fast," he warned with a chuckle; if she ate too much, too fast, she definitely wouldn't feel well enough to chance a swim.

Mal merely waved him off, already taking another bite, and the sight had Ben smiling as he shrugged out of his clothes.

I'm glad she's enjoying herself, he thought as he made his way to the rocks overlooking the lake.

Ben climbed the rocks, climbed to his favorite jumping spot. His mother had always smiled at him, had loved to claim he had no fear because he had always been unafraid of heights, but Ben knew the truth: the lake itself calmed him, let him know that there was nothing to be afraid of in its presence, so he knew climbing that high and jumping in could never hurt him.

Glancing to the stone floor, he saw Mal stand, saw the intrigue on her face as she waved, and Ben smiled wide, returning the gesture. He took a deep breath and jumped.

The rush of the water surrounding him was refreshing, rejuvenating as he merely let the water embrace him, and he swam to the surface for another gulp of air before diving deeper. He loved the water.

But the water swirled around him, and Ben stopped swimming, confusion settling over him as he drifted, feeling the different currents pass by him.

("The lake is enchanted," his mother had told him once during a family picnic long ago, her smile kind as she brushed his hair out of his eyes. "It has a mind of its own, but if you respect it, it won't fail you."

Ben had looked at the lake in wonder and reverence, ready to ask a million questions about magic.

Until his father had scoffed.)

Now, it felt like the lake was whispering to him, and Ben remained beneath its surface, fear of losing his breath the furthest thought from his mind as he listened. Because the longer he drifted in the water, the more his eyes, and his mind, opened.

He had confessed to Mal in front of everyone, in front of Audrey! Audrey, who had only ever been his friend and confidant since they were young, who had been his protector once upon a time. How could he have been such a fool! What kind of king, what kind of decent person would do that to another, to a friend?

What on Earth had made him do it?

 _A spell,_ the waters whispered to him.

And Ben closed his eyes, heart growing heavy. The cookie, the one Mal had insisted — had tricked him into eating — it had been spelled. Mal and the others had been responsible for his foolishness.

And Ben's chest tightened, stomach growing sick. Mal must have caught on to his crush, must have laughed at how foolish it was, must have been so offended to know that the pitiful son of the man who created that wretched island prison had romantic feelings for her.

Which was why he had never intended on mentioning a word about it. Why bother humiliating himself, humiliating Mal, when nothing would ever come of it?

Mal would want nothing to do with his life, with the restrictive politics or the burdens he'd bring, and if she would want nothing to do with him, then why should her friends? 

He just hadn't figured that they'd be this cruel to play with his heart so openly, but he guessed he now had an inkling on how they felt during the ball: a prank for a prank.

And yet, despite it all, Ben couldn't bring himself to be angry with her, with them. It seemed a fair punishment — in fact, it wasn't punishment _enough_. After all, it was _his_ father that caged them on the island, it was _his_ decree that forced them from their home, it was _his_ so-called friend that had humiliated them in front of the entire school. A simple love spell was far too lenient a sentence.

But Ben would be lying if he said it didn't hurt — even though he had no right to feel that way.

He had known that a romance would never occur, but Ben had still held out hope for a friendship; it seemed, however, that that option was also not on the table, and that saddened him the most, knowing that he'd never have what Mal and Jay and Evie and Carlos had, that they wouldn't ever lounge in his room or let him hang in theirs, that he would continue to go that big empty suite of his and work in solitary silence like he did every evening since he was named high king.

And maybe that was part of his punishment, too.

And maybe he could accept that.

Mal might not like me, but I do need to thank her, Ben thought, a ghost of a smile on his lips, wry as it was. After all, he had been trying to find a way to break the betrothal for months now; it was little more than a sham, and he knew Audrey deserved better, knew she deserved someone who truly loved her for her and not the political gain that came with her.

(All his father saw when he looked at Audrey was political gain; he had never seen the sweet yet fiery girl who had been the first person to actually play with Ben, the first person Ben had actually called friend.)

While Ben would have preferred a more delicate approach to ending it, the engagement was definitely off the table now (and perhaps it was his own fault for it ending the way it did, as he never had the nerve to end it properly before). Audrey would have every right to be furious, to demand some kind of retribution for his insensitivity, and Ben would give her any demand she wished.

I need to apologize to Audrey, at the very least, he thought, glancing up at the surface of the lake, wondering what he should do. I should apologize to Mal, too, he thought again, closing his eyes.

He was too much of a coward to face Mal now, knowing that he hurt her and the others enough that they had resorted to magic, but he knew he couldn't hide from her; he owed her that much.

If only she hadn't looked like she was enjoying herself, he thought, smiling at the memories despite how sad it made him; it would be hard to forget Mal's smile, her laugh, her openness.

_Ben._

Ben opened his eyes, confused.

_Ben?_

He looked around. It sounded like someone was calling him.

_Ben!_

That's Mal's voice, he thought, realization dawning. She sounded panicked, and soon the sound of splashing made its way toward him.

 _She's struggling,_ the waters whispered to him, and Ben felt a chill crawl up his spine.

With as much force as he could muster, Ben swam toward Mal, toward the flailing limbs, his heart racing. What's going on, he thought as he gathered Mal into his arms as he broke the water's surface.

He heard Mal gasp, breathing heavy as she tried to calm down, and as Ben walked them toward the stone floor, he felt Mal hold onto him, nearly latching, her nails scraping against his skin as she shivered.

What's going on, he thought again, bewildered, his heart pounding. He placed her down as gently as his nerves would let him, and he couldn't stop himself from shaking the water off of his body, his hair.

Though she looked annoyed, there was something in Mal's gaze that had Ben's throat tightening. "You scared me!" she said, slapping Ben's arm as she stared him down.

She just admitted she was scared, he thought, unable to process it. "You, you can't swim?" Ben asked, surprised by Mal's action, by the fierceness in her face.

She looked at him as if the question were absurd. "No!"

"You live on an island!" Ben said, defensive, heart racing still, trying not to think about how he was speaking with her without any trouble, despite knowing what she did.

"Yeah, with a barrier around it, remember?" Mal said, huffing in annoyance as she averted her eyes, shaking the water off of her hands.

How could I forget about that, he thought, sheepishness creeping up on him, but another thought popped into his head. "And you still tried to save me..." He let his voice trail as he looked at her, unable to stop his mouth from hanging open slightly.

She tried to save me even though she knew she would be in danger, he thought, chest tightening. Would she have done that if she didn't care at least a little?

"Yeah," Mal agreed, frowning, glancing at him briefly before once again averting her eyes. "Completely idiotic on my part, and what do I get in return? Soaking wet!" She huffed again, standing and wringing out what she could of her skirt, refusing to look at him.

It only transfixed Ben more. He hopped out of the lake, rushed to get his jacket, and draped it over Mal's shoulders, taking in the way she froze for a second before hesitantly pulling the jacket around her tighter. As he gave her a towel for her legs, Ben watched as she continued to avoid eye contact.

She's... she's embarrassed, he realized, giving himself a quick pat down with his own towel. He sat down, helpless and confused as he stared at her.

What did it all mean?

Mal shivered, singling his focus on her once more, and this time, he really looked.

Before, when their date had begun, Ben hadn't noticed everything. He knew now that it was all the spell's doing, that it intensified his crush on Mal while making him see things in a blur, but now that it had been lifted, Ben saw.

He saw that the shade of purple on her dress leaned more toward magenta, that the designs in the black lace were circular and meticulously crafted, that her makeup was carefully chosen to accent her natural features while still making her face softer, that her hair had been gently curled and braided here and there, that the earrings she wore were pearls that dangled off of her ear, that she wore a second earring in her right ear that was identical to the one Jay wore in his left.

And as he noticed each detail, he had to restrain himself from letting out a laugh. Now that he could compare his feelings before and after, a love spell could not compete with the affection within him.

Though, I suppose that's the point; it was only used to make a fool of me, he thought, still looking at Mal like she was the moon. His mother had always said that feelings were a tricky thing.

Throwing caution to the wind, wanting to see what she'd do, Ben reached for Mal, reached for the braid Evie had put in her hair, and he gently smoothed the lock between his fingers — though, he nearly faltered when Mal turned to stare at him.

But she didn't swat his hand away. She didn't say anything. Her eyes merely searched his face, as if she were looking for an answer, and she swallowed.

"Um, Mal..." he began, figuring that he had nothing to lose now, "I told you that I loved you." He paused, transfixed as her eyes widened minutely, like she couldn't believe it — even though she thought he was under a spell. He swallowed. "What about you? Do you love me?"

And he tried not to be so nervous, knew that — by all rights — Mal had no reason to love him, had no reason to even trust him, but he still couldn't help but hope, hope that maybe she could see it in her heart to give him a chance.

That hope almost died when Mal turned her face away, and Ben felt all the courage leave him, replaced instead with doubt. Of course she wouldn't want to be tied to someone so politically burdened, to someone who had ties with the person who had made her life hell. Why did he ever think he had a chance with her, romantically?

Even friendship was stretching it, and he had no right to push anything on her. He really was foolish.

Ben watched as Mal's jaw flexed, as she weighed something in her head, and he braced himself for the rejection he knew was coming.

"I..." she began, resolutely avoiding his gaze, "I don't know what love feels like." She blew out a shaky breath, and her cheeks were redder than they were a moment ago. She still hadn't faced him, and he couldn't tell if she shivered from being cold or from the confession she gave him — judging from the frown on her face, though, he'd say it was from the confession.

And watching her made Ben's heart lighter, made him fall in love a little more. I guess what Fairy Godmother taught me about the fae is true, even if Mal's only half, he thought, the confirmation making him almost giddy as he remembered everything she'd said to him, and he reached for her, gently lifting her chin, turning her to him, his thumb lightly smoothing her skin. "Maybe I could teach you?"

What an incredibly stupid thing to say, he thought, berating himself, but he couldn't help it. When it came to Mal, when he saw her being so open, so _vulnerable_ , he just wanted to give her the world. He just wanted to have her be happy.

She looked at him with clear, assessing eyes, and her mouth quivered just the slightest bit before she swallowed, her hand reaching up for his, her fingers encircling his wrist. "I don't think I'd make for a good student," she said as she moved his hand away, and though her voice was steady, there was still uncertainty in her expression.

Ben smiled, glancing down at his hand in hers; she hadn't released him. "I'd like to try, if I may," he said, and he took another chance, bringing their hands to his lips, stopping before they made contact. He glanced at her, still smiling softly for her. "May I?"

Mal stared at him, at their hands, and she swallowed. "You... may _try_ ," she said finally, bracing herself, just barely concealing her worry.

And Ben smiled, smiled wide and sincere, as he pressed a brief, chaste kiss to the back of Mal's hand. He was convinced now. The spell wasn't a mean joke, and Mal wasn't being cruel; she said it herself: she didn't know what love felt like. So she didn't know how to proceed.

This could work, he thought as he offered her a strawberry, his heart fluttering as she took it with a roll of her eyes but with a slight smile. They could be together and be fine, be happy — Mal could be happy, could be worry free, and that's all Ben cared about.

And every time Mal smiled, every time she chuckled and showed how relaxed she was, Ben fell a little more in love with her.

But he also felt ashamed.

After all, he was lying to Mal; she thought he was under a love spell. And, God forgive him, he didn't want to confess the truth — not yet. He really was a coward, really was selfish.

As Mal laughed, softer and higher than her speaking voice, Ben drew his resolve. He did love her, knew he shouldn't lie to her, so he wouldn't. From that moment onward, even if he were keeping secrets from her now, he'd tell Mal nothing but the truth, wouldn't mislead her any more than he was; if she asked him something, anything, he'd respond with honesty.

It was the least he could do to make up for his wickedness.

I won't force anything on you, Mal, he thought, making a vow. If she can forgive me, if God can forgive me, I'll be there for her and her friends, I'll be honest and protective, I'll do my best to be as trustworthy as I can be, and if she decides to be open with me, I'll explain that my feelings are real, that the only spell on me actually is love.

Mal smiled at him, and Ben smiled back, his heart full.

If she decides to put her faith and trust in me, I'll do my best to be worthy, he thought, resolute in his vow.

It was the least he could do for the one he loved.

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BECAUSE MY BRAIN IS A DUMB and because ao3 has such a thing as a character limit, ch8 is split into two parts le sigh


	9. Maybe I'm brainless, maybe I'm wise (seeing through different eyes)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Chapter 8 Part 2**. The Core Four enact their new plot to get the wand. The love spell works. But on whom?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS **PART TWO** OF CHAPTER 8. CLICK THAT PREVIOUS CHAPTER BUTTON RIGHT THIS SECOND IF YOU CAME STRAIGHT TO THIS PAGE. 
> 
> Okay thanks.

Ben's typical school day consisted of waking at five in the morning for a run, followed by a quick shower and semi-big breakfast, going over his schedule for the day, dreading any council or committee meetings, first class at seven-fifteen, a thirty minute break to address any change in schedule, his second class at nine-fifteen, then a two hour break for meetings and lunch, followed by his third class at twelve-forty-five, and then five minutes to get to his last class at two-fifteen. Technically, his school day is done at three-forty-five, but between his extracurriculars and meetings and ruling tutorships, Ben would end up back in his room at seven or eight at night, sometimes two weary from school and homework that he forgot dinner.

Ben's typical weekend consisted of sleeping in an hour on Saturday, having his morning run at six instead of five, followed by a long shower and a big breakfast. The rest of the day was usually reserved for catch-up, whether that meant homework or rescheduled meetings. Sunday was truly his lazy day, as it was the one day most people didn't want to do anything anyway, so he could slow down and relax.

Now that tourney had ended, though, a good bit of time had freed up for Ben — time which he wanted to keep as free as he could. He enjoyed being able to breathe more than every once in a while.

Plus, it meant that he could finish the majority of his work so that he could take Mal out on more dates. (He didn't think he'd be that type of person, and yet, there he was.)

Of course, that's if she has me, he thought as he let out a small sigh, hands in his pockets as he continued his stroll about the campus; he liked taking in the scenery, and he didn't do it as often as he should.

A flash of purple caught his eye, and he blinked as he took in Mal, by herself and in no hurry, a notebook cradled to her chest as she made her way back to her dormitory from wherever she had been.

Speaking of... Ben thought, taking a breath, trying not to talk himself out of going to her. They were dating, right? Even if it occurred through the spell Mal had used... "Hey, Mal," he called softly when he neared, wondering if she'd act any different.

Though she tensed slightly, Mal inclined her head. "Hey, Bennyboo," she said, a little too sweetly to be anything other than teasing.

He laughed, relieved. "I guess you were serious with calling me that." Though, he truly hoped she wouldn't continue; it only served to remind him what an ass he'd been to Audrey.

Since the game, Ben hadn't seen her once, and that was unlike Audrey. He didn't know what he'd do once faced with her, though, other than offer all of his apologies and die of mortification, so maybe it wasn't so bad.

Huffing, Mal shook her head. "Don't think that nickname suits either of us."

"Guess not," Ben murmured, glancing at her. He cleared his throat. "How were you today? Anything interesting happen?"

"You mean besides everyone and their mother congratulating me on becoming your girlfriend?" Mal said, deadpan. "You'd think the student body would be a bit more opposed to their king getting with a villain's kid."

Her answer surprised him; he didn't think Mal would care about that. "Does it really bother you?" he asked, wondering if there were anything he could do to relieve that worry.

"I just didn't expect the approval," Mal said with a shrug, glancing at him through her peripheral. "Honestly, it's weird."

I guess I can see that, he thought, figuring that Mal probably didn't have much experience when it came to approval. "Would you like my thoughts?" Ben offered.

"Sure," Mal said, actually intrigued, giving him more than just part of her attention.

"I think with your hair spells and, uh, with what happened at the Halloween Ball, people have warmed up to you all," he said quietly. She might have said she wanted to hear his opinions, but Ben knew actually hearing something was a different experience. "I think they've realized that maybe you're not so different."

Mal pursed her lips, brow creasing slightly, but she didn't look particularly angry. She glanced at him when they neared the dormitory doors. "Or," she began, drawing out the word, "the student body doesn't want to fall from their high king's favor by dissing his girlfriend?"

Unable to help himself, Ben laughed. "I seriously doubt that." He held the door open for her, mildly surprised she let him.

"And why is that?" she asked, suspicious.

"Many people have already made it perfectly clear how they think I should act and rule as king," Ben said, shrugging. "I've been told I have no backbone." He smiled for her, but there was a part of his chest that tightened.

He knew he couldn't please everyone, but he _did_ set himself up to be seen as someone who was spineless, and really, he couldn't fault people for that — nor would he change it.

Mal remained silent as they ascended the stairs, face neutral and bearing relaxed in a way that made it hard to read her, but the silence was comfortable, broken only by the one or two students passing by and offering brief greetings.

I haven't been able to just walk in someone's company like this in forever, Ben thought, actually enjoying himself. He didn't know what it was, but Mal — and the others, too, really — had a calming effect on him, and he appreciated them more than he could say.

"I don't see it," Mal said, as they neared her door.

Ben blinked. "What?"

"I don't see you not having a backbone," Mal said, looking Ben in the eye and maintaining contact in a way that told Ben she was embarrassed for admitting it.

"Thank you," Ben said, soft and heartfelt; those words coming from her meant everything.

Mal blinked, apparently unprepared for his sincerity, and she inclined her head a fraction, acknowledging and accepting his words. She cleared her throat. "Well," she drawled as she opened the door, "thanks for walking me to my door." She smiled, too brief, and turned to enter the dorm.

"Uh, Mal," Ben began, nerves threatening to scatter as she slowly turned back toward him, "do you think you'd want to go on another date with me?" He tried so hard not to react at all, but he doubted he had a decent poker face; if anything, he probably came across as desperate.

"Tonight?" Mal asked, expression and tone giving nothing away, the inner workings of her mind remaining a mystery.

Panicking, Ben shook his head. "N-not tonight. I meant sometime in the near future. After all, I know you're probably busy, and I wouldn't want to take up your time. Because, you know—"

The door opened wider as Evie appeared before them. "Hello, Ben," she said, offering him a smile.

Taking a breath, Ben returned the smile, embarrassed as he was. "Hello, Evie. Looking lovely as ever again." He wondered, not for the first time, how she managed to look so radiant every time he saw her.

Her smile widening, Evie curtsied. "Thank you." She glanced at Mal before focusing on him again. "You know, I couldn't help but overhear—"

"I'm sure," Mal murmured, eyebrow raised.

"—your offer," Evie continued, not batting an eyelash at Mal's interruption. "Mal isn't doing anything tonight, so I'm sure she'd love to go out with you again." She smiled brightly.

Alarmed, Ben glanced at Mal, watching as her lips pressed into a thin line, and he swallowed, holding up his hands. "No, no, it really is fine. It doesn't have to be tonight. I just, uh, wanted to ask if a second date could be possible." He tried not to wince.

How is it that I constantly trip over myself when I'm near them, he thought, a little dismayed.

Evie tilted her head. "Why wouldn't a second date be possible?"

"She could wake up and realize what she's doing," Ben answered, biting the inside of his bottom lip as he glanced at Mal.

"Shouldn't that be my line?" Mal said after a few awkward moments. "You're King of Auradon, for fuck's sake."

"Mal," Evie scolded with a sigh.

Ben smiled. "An elected title that can be taken away. I don't have anything else going for me."

It felt odd, odd and freeing, to admit his shortcomings, like knocking off a weight on his chest.

"Ben," Evie said, expression more serious than he'd ever seen it, "who has the highest grades in your class?"

Brow creasing, Ben shrugged. "I'd say Doug or Audrey."

"It's you," Evie said, impatient like he was slow.

"That can't be right," he murmured, trying to recall the most recent lists.

Evie put her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrow at him. "It is right. Doug already showed me. He's told me you've been the top of the class almost since you came here."

"That just means I study a lot," Ben argued, unable to see why it mattered, and it wasn't like he was performing some great feat; he was merely left alone with nothing to do except study in the evenings.

Hardly anyone visited the future king, and when they did, it wasn't for long.

"There's more to you than just your title," Evie countered, eyes narrowing slightly. "And I should know better than anyone."

Mal's gaze cut quickly to Evie, something like surprise on her face. She looked at Evie as if she were the moon.

Swallowing, Ben averted his eyes, feeling as if he were witnessing something he shouldn't, and he felt ashamed at the small pinch to his heart at the fact that he didn't have what they had.

He really needed to get over himself.

"What do you do on a Sunday evening?" Evie asked, abrupt yet soft, pulling Ben from his thoughts.

"Hm? Oh. Well, Sundays are— were reserved for Audrey." He cleared his throat, trying not to fidget at the way both girls' lips twitched. "Because, you know, we don't exactly have the freest of schedules during the week."

The girls shared a glance, and after Mal's almost imperceptible nod, Evie turned to Ben with a bright smile. "So you're free tonight?"

Blinking, Ben gave a slow nod. "Yes..." He raised his eyebrow when Evie's smile turned into a grin, when Mal's lips formed a smirk. Ben had a feeling he was being cornered.

"Because we were wondering if you'd like to join us in Jay and Carlos' room for a night of games," Evie said, tone too sweet, not masking her mischievous grin.

"Games?" Ben echoed, definitely feeling cornered. What could they be up to?

"Something called video games," Mal said with a roll of her eyes. "Carlos has grown rather fond of it, and he had the audacity to rope Evie into it."

Evie bumped her shoulder into Mal's. "You know you adore us," she said, tone teasing, and she laughed when Mal huffed.

It brought a smile to his lips, and Ben chuckled. "I don't think Jay and Carlos would like it if I intrude."

Mal scoffed. "Jay would be over the moon," she said with a wave of her hand.

Wait, what, Ben thought, brow creasing slightly. That's the second time she's brought up Jay; I'm beginning to worry that I've completely misjudged our interaction, he thought, growing more worried.

He'd hate to find out that Jay didn't like him as much as he liked Jay.

"Though, Carlos might have something to say," Evie said, pensive.

Huffing, Mal gave Evie a look. "More like something to think. When does he say anything?"

"When it's inconvenient for all parties," Evie answered with a sigh. "Though, he does tend to bottle things. We need to work on that."

"Have fun," Mal said, clearly not wanting to be a part of that.

Clearing his throat, Ben gave them a smile when their attention turned back on him. "Like I said, I don't think I should intrude."

"You aren't," Mal said flatly. "We're inviting you."

"To the boys' room," Ben returned, eyebrow raised.

"It's basically Mal's room," Evie said in a mock whisper, winking at Ben. She moved to his side, linking their arms. "Shall we?"

Ben blinked. "You mean now?"

"The guy's right," Mal said, amused at Evie's pout. "It already feels like an eternity watching you two play that thing, so why make him experience more than that?"

"But we have to catch Ben up, Mal. It wouldn't be proper to beat the high king into the ground," Evie said sweetly, grinning as she bat her eyelashes at Ben.

He laughed. "I see what you're doing," he said, amused.

Evie's grin widened. "I have no idea what you mean, good sir."

"Please flirt when I'm not around," Mal said as she pushed them both forward.

"But you love my flirting," Evie said with a laugh, pulling Ben closer.

Mal rolled her eyes. "C'mon, princess flirt, let's go drop in on the boys."

With Evie laughing and Mal ushering them on, Ben found himself heading to Jay and Carlos' dorm room, a smile on his face. 

—

When he was pulled into the room, without knocking to alert the boys of their presence, the first thing that greeted Ben was Dude's cheerful bark.

"There you are," Ben said with a smile, taking a knee to pet the dog, chuckling at the happy tail wag he was shown. "I was looking for you today."

"The little beast snuck in behind Carlos," Jay said, smirking as he glanced at Carlos' pout. "He didn't even realize until his pants were off."

"It should have made more noise!" Carlos said, defensive and embarrassed as the girls laughed.

"Why were you taking off your pants?" Ben asked absentmindedly, more preoccupied with scratching behind Dude's ears.

Carlos blinked, his cheeks getting redder the longer the silence grew.

Jay grinned as he draped an arm around Carlos' shoulders. "Well, you see, Ben, in order to have your di—"

"And that's enough of that," Carlos said in a rush, pinching Jay's arm and frowning when the action only made Jay laugh.

Evie laughed as well, her musical tone infectious. "But the question is, did things go as planned after you guys realized the creature was here?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows.

This time, Jay pouted. "No, Carlos doesn't like doing anything with the little beast present."

Groaning, Carlos covered his face with his hands. "Can we please move on and discuss why Ben's here," he said, as muffled as it was.

"That is an excellent question," Jay said, giving Ben a once over, curious as well.

"I invited him," Mal said, eyebrow raised. "Evie wants to beat him in your games."

Both Jay and Carlos' expressions lit up, their grins mischievous.

"Don't overdo anything, people," Mal said, amused as she surveyed them all.

"At least I'll get to beat him this way," Jay said with a sly grin as he glanced at Ben, causing Carlos to groan and bring his hand to his face.

Evie leaned in, batting her lashes. "He might be the one beating you."

Jay's grin widened. "I wouldn't mind that either."

"Someone's doing better," Mal said as she moved beside Jay. "How're your dreams, Jay?" She smirked, running her finger down his cheek.

Before Jay could open his mouth, Evie clapped her hands in excitement. "Please, give us details!" she said, crowding them both.

Ben blinked at them, wondering what he stepped into, but he couldn't dwell on it too much as Carlos pulled him away, bringing him to the table in front of the tv. He raised his eyebrow when Carlos basically manhandled him into sitting down.

Shrugging, Carlos said, "You don't need to listen to that." He glanced at Dude then patted Ben's knee, smiling when Dude jumped up and settled on his lap.

It made Ben smile. "You shouldn't encourage him to jump on others," he said, but he couldn't put any real admonishment in his words.

"I'm not encouraging him to jump on others," Carlos said as he began fiddling with the tv. "I'm encouraging him to jump on you." He smirked.

Ben laughed, petting Dude.

"So we're finally going to have four players," Jay said as he grabbed the controllers, handing two to Evie.

Evie smiled brightly. "Yes! We'll be able to have a proper battle," she said, her smile turning coy as she sat beside Ben, offering him a controller.

Eyebrow raised, Ben took it, making sure not to disturb Dude too much. "So I take it you didn't mean it when you said we'd practice first."

Carlos snorted, sitting on the other side of Ben. "If you thought Evie would go easy on you in any way, you've already lost the night." He ducked when Evie threw an eraser at him, which made Mal and Jay laugh.

"I think I can handle myself, thanks," Ben said with a smile. He was a quick learner, after all, and as this was the first time he'd been in the company of a group of his peers in a long while, he didn't want to disappoint.

He nearly startled when he felt a hand in his hair, and he glanced up on reflex, confused.

"Seems like a backbone to me," Mal said behind him, tone almost a purr, and her hand moved a fraction, almost as if she were ruffling his hair.

Ben's heart skipped a beat.

"You shouldn't sit on the table, Mal," Evie said, a half-hearted chide at best, considering her focus was on the start up menu of the game.

Snorting, Mal withdrew her hand. "I can sit where I want. Besides, it offers a better view."

Ben swallowed as he heard Jay huff.

"C'mon, you cool cats," Jay said, amusement in his voice as Evie gave him a gentle shove, "let's get this party started."

"So eager to lose," Carlos murmured as the character screens popped up, immediately selecting some sort of armored person.

Ben smiled as he focused on picking a character. He hadn't played this particular game before, but it seemed like a simple fighter game. He might not be able to guess the special moves right away, but he could at least learn the ropes fairly quickly.

If they don't all gang up on me, that is, he thought with a smile as he chose his character, a young lady who looked like she could kick a hole into someone.

"How about we choose beginner, in honor of Ben joining us," Jay suggested, not even bothering to hide the amusement in his voice, spinning his controller in his hand. The character he chose could only be described as a femme fatale.

"How generous of you," Evie cooed, a coy smile to her lips as she selected the character that looked like a ninja.

"Only because I know you won't be," Jay said, voice a purr.

"I can knock out Evie while you figure things out," Carlos said, addressing Ben, as he went through the different arenas. "She's my only real challenge, anyway."

Jay snorted. "I would take offense to that, but Evie is vicious."

"Ha ha, boys," Evie said, deadpan. "Let's play already."

Ben smiled at Evie's impatience; he's never seen her like this, so focused and, well, kid-like — so carefree and unrestrained. He loved it.

He loved seeing them all like this; he never thought he would get the chance.

"Your death wish," Carlos said serenely as he finally chose an arena, some place with plenty of columns.

The game started, and Ben did his best to figure out the buttons quickly, noting the small circle in the corner of the screen with three moving dots, trying his best not to be too distracted by the amusing way Evie and Jay nudged each other as their dots got closer.

He managed to contain his surprise when both Evie and Jay grunted in annoyance, and he vaguely heard Carlos mutter, "They never learn."

Uh oh, that means Carlos is coming for me, Ben thought, traversing the map. He might as well meet Carlos head on, and he figured actually fighting another player would help him learn the controls better and faster.

"Hey, Ben," Carlos said, amusement just barely contained in his tone.

Yikes, Ben thought as Carlos' onslaught filled his portion of the screen. There wasn't much he could do, but he did manage not to die right away; in fact, he might have taken some of Carlos' health with him.

Jay and Evie laughed and cheered, and Carlos shook his head with a grin as his character stepped on Ben's in victory.

Ben tried not to wince — he tried not to grin, either. His mother would roll her eyes at this game. "I think I'm ready for the big leagues," he said, leaning back in his chair.

Mal's hand rested on his head again. "Poor misguided king," she said, and her smirk could be heard in her tone as she gave him three light pats.

"Oh, have faith in Ben," Evie tutted, leaning into him some. "He'll get better."

Jay snorted. "You just want to beat him, too."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"Both of you could beat him, if you stop making yourselves an easy target," Carlos said, picking another arena. "Shall we try again?"

"Bring it, Carlos," Evie said, even as Jay and Mal snickered.

I could get used to this, he thought as Carlos won the round in record time again, letting out something like a cackle when Evie and Jay protested.

As he listened to them begin to bicker, as he listened to them mutter curses and shout victories, as he watched them nudge against each other and ruffle each other's hair, Ben smiled, feeling more content, more at ease, and more like he belonged in a long, long time.

—

Ben had never been more happy to head to lunch on a school day.

He had managed to avoid both Audrey and Chad during the weekend, what with Mal and the others occupying his time, but Ben could hardly avoid them in classes, considering he took several with them.

Chad's disapproval he could deal with, as he'd never paid much mind to what Chad had said on a regular basis, but Audrey...

She'd done her best to pretend like nothing had affected her, but there were moments, moments when Ben couldn't help but sneak a glance her way, where her shoulders would sag a fraction than they'd been before.

The guilt he felt was too great, and the moment the bell rang, he did his best to exit the classroom without making it seem like he was rushing to leave.

It meant getting to a council meeting a lot earlier than he'd liked, but it was a sacrifice he'd been willing to make.

Now he only had about twenty minutes to eat something before his next class, but he didn't mind the rush; it kept his mind busy and the doubts at bay.

Someone hooked their arm around his neck, and Ben blinked, turning to see Jay beside him. "Jay," he said intelligently, blinking at the way Jay grinned at him.

He was surprised by Jay's action, as he didn't think Jay liked him that much, at least according to the hints that the girls have dropped, but more than that, he was surprised at himself with how easy it was to just... go with the flow.

Ben had never been as comfortable with someone's touch as he was with Jay's right then and there.

"So, we were looking for you," Jay said as he continued to lead Ben.

Ben blinked. "Well, I was in a council meeting. I usually have meetings around lunch time." He glanced at Jay as he nodded, and Ben swallowed, wondering if he should voice his thoughts. "So you feel comfortable with me?"

Restraining from wincing, Ben could have smacked himself. Sometimes, he hated his brain-to-mouth filter.

Jay looked at him, blinking. "Well, now, yeah," he answered, studying Ben with a serious expression. Then he grinned. "Knowing how bad you suck at video games helps, too."

Ben found himself smiling, and he shook his head a little. "I'll get better, you'll see. Then, watch out," he said, but he blinked, processing Jay's words. Helps with what, he thought, puzzled.

"Ooh, I'm shaking," Jay said with a grin. He pulled Ben closer, a smirk on his lips, before easing up on his hold. "Definitely not worried anymore." His words were quiet, and he didn't look at Ben as he said them.

"Worried?" Ben echoed, once again getting mixed signals from Jay.

Jay nodded. "Yeah, you're all about Mal, so I don't have to worry."

What does _that_ mean, Ben thought, but before he could say anything, Jay had led him to the lunch table Mal and the others had occupied.

"Ben," Evie greeted when Jay gently manhandled him onto a bench, scooting closer and pushing a tray in front of him. "You need to eat."

"Oh," Ben said lamely, staring at the food. "You didn't have—"

"Hush," Evie interrupted with a wave of her hand. "I'm sure you've worked up an appetite in your meeting." She brought a fork to his mouth, looking at him expectantly.

"How'd you know that?" he asked as he took a bite, idly realizing that she was feeding him chicken. He didn't recall telling her his schedule.

Mal huffed, twirling her pencil between her fingers, not looking up from her sketch of some sort of castle. "Evie has a magic mirror."

Oh, that's a little disconcerting, he thought as he glanced at Evie, eyebrow raised.

Evie smiled, though, as she pulled her makeup box close, digging in it briefly and pulling out a mirror. "Magic mirror, show me Ben's schedule for the day," she said, letting Ben see the surface ripple before settling on an image of Ben's agenda. "I often use my mirror to keep track of everyone's schedule." She leaned in close, giving him a mock whisper. "If I don't, Carlos and Jay would be late for a number of things."

"I'll have you know that I am not afraid to hide that thing," Carlos said, frowning into his laptop, flicking a pea at Jay when he laughed.

"You could have asked," Ben said as he ate another forkful Evie offered him.

"What?" Evie asked, preoccupied with feeding Ben, using a napkin to dab the corner of his mouth.

"My schedule," he clarified, "you could have just asked me." He took her hand in his, pausing her busy movements, wanting her to look him in the eye. "And you don't have to pamper me, Evie. It should be the other way around."

Evie blinked at him. "You want to pamper me?"

"Sure," he said, giving her a smile. "I wouldn't mind pampering any of you."

"See, it's shit like that that makes me worried," Jay said as he ran a hand through his hair.

Ben blinked. What did I say, he thought, puzzled.

"Please," Mal said, unfazed, "you act as if we don't pamper you." She glanced at him, a smirk forming on her lips.

Jay huffed, the slightest of pouts on his lips. "It's okay when _you_ do it."

"Could what Mal does even be classified as pampering?" Carlos asked, brow creased slightly.

"Given how much she indulges us, I'd say it counts," Evie said, faint amusement in her voice, but she focused on Ben. "And I like pampering people, Ben," she said as she once again offered a bite to eat. "So let me?"

Feeling only a tiny bit weird — he never liked being pampered when he was a child, and he actively avoided it as a teen — Ben let Evie do as she wished, figuring that he owed her that much, at least.

The smile she gave him more than made up for any discomfort he might have felt.

He spent the remainder of his lunch with them, and they once again let their guard down with him, Jay and Evie flirting with each other and laughing when Carlos and Mal rolled their eyes with barely hidden grins.

It amazed Ben that they were so comfortable with each other, often leaning into personal spaces without thought, sharing food or Carlos' laptop without preamble, and it amazed him even more that they did all this out in the open, in front of him and the rest of their peers at lunch.

Though, no one's really paying any attention, he thought as he looked around, noting that not once did anyone look their way, not even Doug or Lonnie.

"Someone's going to be late," Evie sing-songed, grinning at Jay.

Rolling his eyes, Jay stood up and stretched. "I'll never get used to this being on time crap."

"Says the guy who said he'd never touch magic," Mal murmured, a smirk forming.

Jay blinked as Carlos said, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Jay's been hiding us with his magic all lunch," Evie said, and she looked nothing but proud.

Ben tried to contain his surprise. He had no idea that Jay was capable of using magic.

"Ah, piss," Jay muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets, shoulders sagging.

"It's actually impressive," Mal said, expression softening. "Not as disciplined as some, but it's stable and strong."

"And it was so fluid," Evie cooed, standing and moving toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Even now, you're keeping it steady for us." She kissed his cheek.

Jay didn't say anything, merely swallowed as he stared at Evie, unsure.

Ben's chest tighten a fraction as Evie hugged Jay, as Jay's arms hesitantly wrapped around Evie.

"Now, go on," she said softly when she pulled away, "or you'll really be late." She placed her hand on his cheek, a simple caress, as she smiled.

Huffing a little, Jay nodded. Though, he still looked unsure as he cleared his throat. "Guess I'll be taking that magic with me." He raised an eyebrow.

Carlos snorted. "Doesn't matter to me," he said, typing extra loudly.

His actions made both Jay and Evie smile, and Jay gave them all a half-hearted salute before making the trek to his class.

Ben blinked as Evie sat down next to Carlos, much more formal and rigid than she had been all lunch period, and he realized the reason why when he noticed her subtly glancing around them.

Now that Jay's magic had apparently dissipated, their peers could see them and were now openly staring at their table.

"Damn," Carlos muttered, his brow creased as he stared intently at his screen, "even I can feel their stares."

"That's Jay for you," Evie said quietly, a soft, warm smile on her lips. "He protects us without even thinking."

"Remind me to reward him tonight," Mal said as she packed up, expression thoughtful. "He's progressing better than I expected."

Ben remained quiet, careful to keep his expression neutral. He had a feeling he shouldn't be listening to their conversation, but he kept his appearance pleasant enough to distract their peers, many of whom were still glancing their way.

With a small sigh, Evie stood up, straightening her skirt. "We'd better leave as well." She smiled at Ben. "I don't think conversing with the high king counts as an excuse for tardiness."

Sharing her smile, Ben shrugged. "I still need excuses for tardiness, so I don't think I can help you there."

Evie laughed, the sound like music, and she gathered her things, pulling Carlos with her. 

Ben watched them go, smiling fondly as Evie waved at him, Carlos glancing back briefly before hurrying on his way.

"You're very lucky," he murmured, glancing at Mal.

"We're in agreement," she said, soft and low, almost as if she said nothing.

Knowing better than to comment on it, Ben merely stood up. "Shall I walk you to your class?" He outstretched his arm.

"If you want," Mal said as she, too, stood. After a brief moment, she gently brought his arm to his side.

Her action only made Ben smile; he figured she wouldn't take his arm, but he'd been raised on proper manners, so he felt that he at least had to offer. Still, it was nice just walking side by side, and Mal seemed content, easy-going, now that they were leaving the stares of their peers.

Which meant that Ben's brain wanted him to talk.

"So," he began, wondering if she would mind the conversation, "about Carlos..."

Mal hummed. "What about Carlos?"

"Well, truthfully, it's something I've always wondered," he said, watching her face. Nothing happened yet. "I know growing up on the island was a different experience than growing up in Auradon" — there it was, the subtle change in her expression that told Ben she was really listening now — "so I know you all react to things differently than I would; in fact, I think you guys are a lot more honest and upfront than most of the people I know. But Carlos..."

And there was the flex in Mal's jaw, signaling that Ben should stop talking, but he was honestly curious now. So he continued.

"But Carlos seems like he'd be the best actor in the world. I've only ever seen him without walls when he first met Dude. Every other time? He's harder to read than Atlantean, and he seems so much older than he is. But sometimes, there's this glimpse of something else, you know? I mean, even the three of you treat him like he's—"

"Enough about Carlos!" Mal said with a little too much force, no longer moving.

Taken aback, Ben held up his hands. "I didn't mean anything by it! I really like the guy, and—"

"Stay away from him," she all but commanded, the glare on her face scalding.

Ben blinked in surprise, not used to seeing such a stern, angry expression on Mal's face, not used to hearing the biting tone to her voice, and by the way she blinked several times, her eyes widening, her own words surprised her, too. Ben watched as she tried to play it off, eyes still a little too wide as she cleared her throat.

"Class calls," she muttered, and she practically ran from the spot, leaving Ben confused, hurt creeping into his chest.

You knew better than to pry, he thought, scolding himself for feeling the way he did; he had no right to feel sorry for himself.

You had no right to bring up Carlos, and yet you did anyway, he thought, blanching at the thought that he could be like that. He knew what was off limits, yet he barreled on.

How like your father, a little voice inside his head whispered, and a shiver ran through Ben.

The bell chimed, signaling he was late for class.

—

Sometimes, without tourney, Ben was left with too much time.

He had finished his homework, and to fight off the quietness of the room, he took to window watching, watching many a student stroll and laugh and be happy.

Ben frowned as he looked out the window, the sights not quelling the doubts within him, and he wondered if Mal would forgive him.

Though, seeing as what he said had caused such a reaction in Mal, he doubted forgiveness was an option.

His door opened, and Jay and Carlos walked in, Jay grinning wide and Carlos fidgeting but smiling.

"Gentlemen," Ben greeted with a smile, curious. They never came to see him.

"What's up, Ben," Jay returned, punching Ben in the shoulder. He'd learned to hold back on his strength, so it didn't hurt. That much, anyway. "Carlos has something he wants to ask you."

"Jay," Carlos whispered fiercely, slapping Jay's shoulder. "It was your idea."

"Because you _want_ to," Jay replied, unfazed. "So ask him."

Carlos turned red, but he gazed at Ben with something like hope in his eyes, which surprised Ben; Carlos was never the most open of the four.

Which only served to remind Ben of his conversation with Mal.

"Wait," Ben said quickly, cutting off Carlos' question. Both Carlos and Jay looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Um," he started lamely, unsure how to say it. "Mal told me to stay away from Carlos," he finished, apologetic.

Jay groaned, rolling his eyes. "Aw man, what you did to piss her off?" He looked at Ben expectantly.

"Was it something I did?" Carlos asked quietly, his face crumbling.

"No!" Ben said quickly. "I was asking questions, and I guess she—"

"Yeah, she doesn't like questions," Carlos said, relieved. Then he gave Ben a considering look.

"Especially about Carlos," Jay added, tone teasing as he hooked an arm around Carlos' neck, pulling him close. Carlos blushed.

Ben cleared his throat. "So yeah, I'm really sorry, Carlos, but I don't think I can answer your question." Ben watched as Carlos's face fell again, this time with disappointment, and Jay shook him a little.

"I'll talk to Mal, don't worry," Jay told Carlos, a little too close to his ear, and Carlos bit his lip. "Besides, I bet he can still watch," he added with a grin, which widened as Carlos turned beet red.

"Jay!" Carlos admonished, quickly glancing at Ben with wide eyes.

"What, I thought you liked it when people watch?" Jay spoke smoothly through a grin as he splayed his hand over Carlos' chest.

"Only like it when _some_ watch," Carlos muttered, eyelids getting heavy.

Ben had no idea what they were talking about, but it looked like they needed some space. "Again," he began, letting them remember he was there, in his own dorm room, "I'm really sorry, Carlos. And I'd like to apologize for leaving, as I have an appointment with the Fairy Godmother in a few minutes."

"About her wand?" Jay asked, not moving away from Carlos despite the younger's pokes.

Ben chuckled. They sure are fascinated with magic, he thought as he shook his head. "Afraid not. Just some royal procedures to go over. I'll see you around." He winced, sending an apologetic glance to Carlos. "Well, maybe."

The boys snorted but waved him off as he left. He hoped they'd talk to Mal soon. He actually liked hanging out with them.

When he could.

———

Mal sat back on her knees, panting through a smirk as she wiped her chin, and surveyed her work.

Evie was a shuddering mess laid out before Mal, her stomach rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath, legs still spread from where Mal had been between them, her hair billowing out around her head. Evie's makeup was slightly smudged from where Mal kissed her, but Mal thought she'd never looked more beautiful than when she looked like this, all dazed and content.

"And how does the fairest of them all feel now?" she asked with a grin.

"Naked, messed up," Evie managed to say, looking pointedly at how Mal was fully clothed, "but it's like I couldn't care less." She smiled wide, chuckling quietly to herself.

Huffing in amusement, Mal lightly smacked Evie's thigh. "Perfect. That was my plan."

"You are brilliant at plans," Evie cooed, stretching out like a cat.

The door knob rustled, startling them, and when it failed to open — Mal had physically locked it before their little bonding time; now that Ben was under the love spell, he was added to the wards she normally put up — someone started banging on the door.

"Mal, Evie, it's us, open up," Jay called.

Rolling her eyes, Mal threw the covers over Evie before going to open the door.

"What gives, having a party without us?" Jay asked as he sauntered in, winking at Evie's obvious nudity — the makeup was a dead give away.

Snorting, Mal left Carlos in the doorway. "You could have been a part of the fun, but you got here late." She plopped down on her bed, raising an eyebrow.

Jay nodded at Carlos. "Carlos wanted to try something new, but it didn't pan out. So we rushed back to our dorm for our own fun."

"You didn't invite us, so it all works out fine," Evie teased back. She glanced at Carlos. "What did you want to try?"

"And why are you still in the door?" Mal asked, narrowing her eyes. Something was going on, and she wasn't sure if she liked it.

"Mal," Carlos began as he entered the room, voice unsure and movements cautious as he pushed the door shut behind him.

It didn't close all the way, though, and Mal was about to point that out when Carlos took a breath and finished speaking.

"Why did you tell Ben to stay away from me?" He braced himself for a hit, verbal or physical.

Evie sat up, nudity be damned as the covers fell off of her. "You told Ben what!" she exclaimed, mouth open in shock. Jay had to snap his fingers for her to realize she was flashing them all.

"I may have said stay away," Mal conceded slowly, trying not to let her embarrassment show.

"Come on, Mal, just because of some stupid questions?" Jay all but sighed, arms crossed.

"Wait, how did you even find out about that?" Mal asked, suspicious again. Ben shouldn't have gone near Carlos; he was under the spell.

"We went to his dorm room because Carlos wanted to try his dick," Jay answered, trying and failing to hide a grin.

" _Jay_ ," Carlos practically hissed, face bright red.

Evie made a sort of excited squeak and clapped her hands, once again forsaking her covers. "Carlos, that's so good to hear! I can definitely see you and Ben hitting it off." She beamed at him as his blush darkened.

Mal couldn't believe them. "Um, hello! What part of love spell do you not get?" They blinked at her. "He can't make that decision on his own anymore."

Realization dawned on them, and they paled slightly.

"But, if he's asked a question that had nothing to do with you, he can still make decisions, right?" Jay asked quietly, glancing at the others. He didn't sound too sure. "Does it affect everything?"

"I think," Evie said slowly as she stared at her hands, "it's best to assume everything is affected." She looked at them, troubled. "His brain chemistry is now wired around Mal. And because Mal's already placed importance on Carlos, if he asked, Ben might agree just because he'd think it would please Mal."

Carlos stared at Mal, horrified and ashen. "I didn't think..." he whispered; he looked close to tears.

"It's _fine_ ," Mal said firmly. "Nothing happened, and nothing will ever happen now that we know what to assume. So it's fine." She looked each one of them in the eye, adamant. "We are _not_ going to be like those men, taking people by force."

"Is that why you won't let Ben kiss you?" Evie asked gently.

"Of course," Mal said, and it wasn't the whole truth but hey, it was true enough. She focused on Carlos. "Come here," she said softly.

Carlos walked to her as if walking ready to receive punishment, and it made Mal frown.

"Carlos, you didn't know," she said firmly, framing his face. "Nothing happened, and nothing is your fault." She grit her teeth, but after mentally shaking herself, she continued, "If anything, the fault is mine."

Carlos glanced at her with wide eyes. "How is it your fault?" he asked, swallowing as he reached for her hands, gently prying them from his face.

"I couldn't think of another way," was all she said. "And I sure as shit didn't protect any of you at the ball."

"The ball wasn't your fault, Mal," Jay said quietly.

"The love spell is," she countered.

Evie hummed, gripping the covers tighter. "Actually, the love spell is my fault; I'm the one who suggested it."

"And I'm the one who agreed," Mal said, eyebrow raised. "But yes, let's continue debating it." She glanced pointedly at Carlos, who was no longer looking at her but instead at the floor, a frown on his face.

Huffing, Jay crossed his arms, leaning on one of Mal's bedposts. "Fine, we'll drop it. For now."

"Carlos," Evie called, waiting for him to look her way before she lifted the covers, "come here, please." She didn't pout, not really, but there was something imploring to her expression, and she smiled when Carlos walked to the bed.

Mal watched Evie wrap her arms around Carlos as they burrowed under her covers, watched as Carlos closed his eyes and allowed Evie to comfort him, and she glanced at Jay, noticing the frown on his face as he stared at the floor, knowing that he wasn't taking in any details.

She didn't blame them, couldn't blame them; she knew too well how disarming Ben could be, and for the thousandth time she cursed herself for dropping her guard on their date, for getting too comfortable last night.

This is exactly why I didn't want to do the love spell, she thought, restraining herself from sighing. But she knew that the others wouldn't have fared any better.

A knock at the door startled her out of her musings, and she froze when she turned.

Ben stood in the doorframe, head tilted, confusion on his face as he blinked. "Is my timing bad again?" he asked, sheepish.

Jay snorted but remained silent as he sat down on Mal's bed, glancing between Ben and Mal.

"Not really," Mal settled on saying, figuring that she did need to talk to him. "Come in."

Instead of entering the room, though, Ben stayed still, gaze traveling to Evie's bed, to Evie and Carlos lying in it.

Mal became more alert, wondering what he would do; it didn't take a genius to notice that Evie had nothing on, even if Carlos blocked most of her flesh, and Mal readied herself to step in front of them should Ben even think of ill-mentioning the situation.

"You told me to stay away from Carlos," Ben said, a polite smile on his lips, standing in a parade rest.

Mal blinked, and incredulously, as she glanced at the others, she felt her cheeks warm. "Right," she said lamely before clearing her throat. "I rescind that."

Ben blinked back at her. "Really?"

Huffing, Mal nodded.

"Thank you," he said with a small smile.

The silence stretched a second longer than Mal liked. "So, to what do we owe the pleasure?" she asked, namely to shift Ben's focus, to get him to do something other than smile like that at her.

Ben hesitated, glancing down as he shifted the weight on his feet. Taking a small breath, he faced Mal again. "Would you like to go on a second date tonight?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Mal saw Jay watching the scene intently, saw Evie get up a little to pay better attention, and she nearly sighed.

In order for people to believe that she was his girlfriend, she did need to go out with him every now and then, and since their first date occurred where no one could see, and since last night occurred within the confines of the boys' room, she figured a public outing would be beneficial to their task.

She resolutely ignored her nerves as she said, "Sure."

She also ignored the way Jay licked his lips, the way Evie let out a sigh.

Ben's smile turned brilliant. "Shall I pick you up at seven?"

"Sure," she said again, trying not to think about eating dinner with him in front of other people. She didn't know how gossip rolled in this neck of the woods, but she knew it'd be different than the network created on the island.

"Seven it is, then," he said with a chuckle, practically bouncing on his feet as he gave a small bow. He turned to leave.

"Why didn't you come in," Mal said before he left, only just realizing that he never left the doorway

Head tilting, Ben blinked at her before he understood. "I didn't want to intrude," he said, tone and smile soft as he glanced at the beds, inclining his head briefly. "I'll see you tonight, Mal." He smiled, waving to her and the others, and then he was gone.

Feeling their eyes on her, Mal walked to the door and closed it, physically locking it as well as putting up her usual ward.

"Dinner with the high king," Evie sighed out, falling back fully on the bed, pulling Carlos closer.

"You didn't even ask where he was taking you," Jay said, eyebrow raised.

She mirrored his expression. "Does it matter?"

Jay held her gaze for a moment before he shrugged. "Guess not." He ran his hand through his hand, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "Do you want any of us to be there?"

Mal shook her head. "No, it's fine. Everything should be fine."

Jay nodded, leaning on Mal's bedpost again, his eyes distant.

Suppressing a shiver, Mal turned her thoughts to other things, trying not to count the hours till seven o'clock.

———

Ben's nerves threatened to scatter as he made his way to Mal's room, and no matter how many times he scolded himself, no matter how many times he insisted to his own brain that it was just a simple dinner, his nerves still felt like falling apart.

It didn't help that he had been a little distracted all day with the idea that Carlos was apparently attracted to him, and that the others were apparently okay with that.

But thinking about that only made him wince, considering that he had yet again eavesdropped on a conversation about the four of them to which he should not have been privy.

So Ben focused on the fact that he was taking Mal out a second time, focused on providing her with a decent evening.

After all, he didn't think he was a _terrible_ cook, but then again, he couldn't be sure.

As he neared it, Mal's door seemed foreboding, and he took a deep breath to dispel any excess nerves. He knocked.

Evie once again opened the door, and she smiled at him as she gave him a once over, evidently approving of his outfit. "Hello, Ben," she greeted, as usual.

"Hello, Evie," he greeted in turn, already calmer now that he was in her presence. "Do I even have to mention your loveliness anymore, or should I always sing your praises?"

She laughed, high and musical, and her cheeks darkened. "Do whatever you want, Ben," she said with a coy smile.

"Then you look more lovely than the starry night," Ben said, smiling wide when she blushed again.

"What have I said about flirting," Mal said, amused as she came up beside Evie. She lifted Evie's chin, turning her head to side. "Though, blushing suits you well." Mal smirked, her thumb brushing against Evie's bottom lip.

The same bottom lip that Evie now bit as her cheeks became a shade darker.

Wow, Ben thought, transfixed.

"Mal," Evie said, not quite a whine but close, "you shouldn't say such things in front of your date."

"Said who, my princess," Mal practically purred out, her smirk deepening.

"Ben," Evie said, this time definitely whining, "can't you do something?"

Ben blinked as Evie sent him a pleading look, as Mal raised her eyebrow. I have a feeling I can't win this one, he thought, amused as he shrugged. "Sorry, Evie, but I agree with Mal: blushing suits you."

Both girls blinked at him, and something akin to a squeal came from Evie as she covered her face in her hands.

"Oh, God," she said, muffled by her hands. "I think I need to go to the boys' room right now." She didn't give them time to respond, already moving past them at a brisk pace.

"Have _fun_!" Mal called after her, more amused than Ben had ever seen her.

"Was it something I said?" he asked as he watched her close her door, as she splayed her hand on the wood for a few seconds before moving away.

Mal answered him with only a smile at first, gesturing for him to lead the way. "It was, but it was good that you said it." Before he could respond to that, she let out a quick sigh before turning to him. "So, where are we going? Another surprise?"

Smiling, Ben shook his head. "We're going to dinner."

Eyebrow rising, Mal hummed. "And where is dinner?"

"My dormitory roof," Ben answered.

Mal blinked. "Is that allowed?"

"It isn't forbidden," Ben said, holding back his grin.

Silence settled over them as they left Mal's dormitory, but out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw Mal give him an approving smile, and he tried not to let that go to his head.

—

Ben had never been one for flare, dramatic or otherwise, and since he knew Mal didn't like attention either, he had settled on having a private dinner for their second date. Of course, he still hadn't known if Mal would like his setup.

He watched Mal as she walked toward the table, draped in a white tablecloth and adorned with two lit candles, and in the center of it all, a small bouquet of pink and red tulips. Two covered plates were set opposite each other, and he had placed glasses for both wine and water next to them. Next to the table was a bucket stand, a bottle of wine chilling.

The weather was perfect for the evening, only the occasional gentle breeze and stars already beginning to glimmer in the sky.

Mal took a step forward before pausing, her eyes roaming over the setup, and she glanced at him. "This seems like trouble," she said, eyebrow quirking.

Smiling, Ben shrugged. "Only a little," he said as he offered his hand. He tried to keep his smile in check when she actually took his hand, and he guided her to her chair, pulling it out for her and pushing it back in, making her comfortable before he moved to her side.

"I figured I shouldn't feed you sweets all the time," Ben said as he removed the food cover. "But if you don't like this, I do have some handy." He gestured to the covered dessert tray by the bucket stand.

"Thoughtful," Mal said, amused. "And what is this?" she asked, leaning in a fraction to inspect the food on her plate.

"Um, roasted chicken," Ben answered, nerves buzzing. "Along with potatoes and green beans." He had no idea what kind of food Mal liked, or would like, and all he really had to go off of were the stories his mother would tell him about the fae — and even that wasn't too reliable, as he had no idea to their truth, never mind the fact that Mal was half-fae.

You need to calm down some, he thought, giving himself a mild scolding as he remembered to breathe. He was always one for overthinking things.

"And who prepared it?" Mal asked, and she closed her eyes as she took in the meal's aroma.

"That would be me," Ben said, embarrassment creeping up on him.

He had only made this dish twice before: the first when he was eleven, in secret, botching the recipe completely, and the second when he was fifteen, on the anniversary of his grandfather's death, to cheer his mother up.

"So if I vomit all night, I can blame it on you?"

Ben blinked. "Way to sugarcoat it," he said, doing a terrible job of suppressing his grin.

"What, it would make a great excuse not to show up in class, wouldn't it? Sorry, professor, I can't come in today; the high king poisoned me." Mal smirked.

Trying not to let his amusement show, Ben sat down, feigning offense. "Maybe I should just pack everything up."

Mal grinned, leaning back in her chair. "You wouldn't let this go to waste."

Ben laughed, nodding in agreement. "Called my bluff pretty quick there." I also wouldn't keep you from eating, he thought as he stood up, intent to pour their wine.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Mal said as she watched him fill her glass halfway. "I've had years of practice." She blinked at him, leaning forward a little, sniffing. "What is this?"

"Red wine," he answered as he poured his own, and he belatedly wondered if the drink would offend her, recalling what Jay had said during the Halloween Ball. "I've always been allowed one glass with dinner."

She raised her eyebrow. "What is wine?" She reached for the glass, swirling the liquid gently, and she brought it to her nose.

"Oh," Ben said intelligently, blinking. "It's an alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice."

"Don't think we have this on the island," she said as she took a small sip, blinking as she tasted it. She glanced at Ben. "But I guess you're not surprised by that."

"I'm surprised by more things than I care to admit," Ben confessed. "Guess it's just my ignorance." He couldn't believe how he could, but sometimes, he forgot that Mal didn't have certain things — a _lot_ of things — on the island.

"I wouldn't say it's _your_ ignorance," Mal said after a moment, her gaze intent, intense, clear, pinning Ben to his seat, stalling his breath.

And then the spell was broken as Mal shifted her attention to the meal in front of her, picking up her fork. "Here goes nothing," she said, a hint of playfulness in her tone as she took a small bite of chicken.

Ben held his breath.

Mal's eyes widened minutely, and a little hum escaped her.

Ben breathed a sigh of relief.

A comfortable silence settled over them as they ate, and Ben tried to be discrete in his observance of Mal's expressions, curious about whether or not she enjoyed the meal.

Judging by the way she hadn't spit anything out yet, Ben would say it was going well, and he couldn't help but smile to himself whenever Mal hummed to herself after a bite.

He liked seeing her enjoy herself, and he felt honored she trusted him enough to do so in his presence.

"Would the others have liked this?" Ben asked, remembering Evie's expression, remembering that she and Jay and Carlos probably hadn't tasted such a meal either, being from the island.

"Why should that matter to you?" Mal asked as she took another sip of wine, her gaze just shy of critical.

Is she thinking about the Carlos thing, he thought, deliberating on his next words as he too took a sip. If he understood the situation correctly — and, to be quite honest, he wasn't sure if he _did_ — Carlos apparently found him attractive, and Mal, as well as the others, were fine with that attraction.

But that doesn't mean she's fine with me _knowing_ , Ben thought, realization dawning. Is that why she reacted the way she did; is she afraid of me knowing, of my reaction, he thought, clearing his throat as he set his glass down.

"Mal, about Carlos," Ben began, bracing himself for another confrontation.

Mal sighed, leaning back in her seat. "Why are you so hooked on that?" she asked, but there was no fire in her eyes, no heat in her tone — she was exasperated, yes, but not angry.

"Mal, I wouldn't leave you for him," Ben said honestly, wondering if she'd believe him, wondering if that were truly the notion that worried her. When Mal blinked in surprise, he continued. "That's what you're worried about, right? Don't. I love you. I just want to be better friends with your friends."

It might not be exactly what she's worried about, but I can at least assuage some of her doubts, he thought, waiting on her response.

It isn't like she _should_ be worried, anyway, considering she thinks I'm under a love spell, he thought, refraining from sighing.

The blatant surprise on her face faded, her gaze becoming critical, analytical, almost chilling, so much so that it froze Ben on the spot.

Slowly, gracefully, Mal got up from her seat, crossed the small distance between them, and seamlessly straddled his lap, her hands on his shoulders. "Ben," she said, tone sweet and curious but eyes ice, "fuck me. Right now."

Ben blinked. He balked. He swallowed. What had gotten into her? "Mal..." he said, but no words came to him, throat closing at the way she began rolling her hips into his. His hands automatically settled on her hips, and for a moment, he let himself imagine it, imagine kissing her everywhere, worshipping her body, making sure she had the best pleasure he could give her.

But his conscience screamed at him, jogging his memory and pulling him back to reality, and he felt ashamed for thinking of his own wants over her needs. Swallowing again, Ben reached up to grab her hands, moving them off of his shoulders. He nearly faltered when she completely stilled in his lap. Gently, he placed her own hands on her heart. "No," he said, gentle but firm.

Something crossed her features, but Ben didn't know her well enough to determine what emotion it was, and it was gone as fast as it came anyway. She stared at him. "What did you say?" she asked, voice low — dangerous.

It didn't deter Ben. "No," he said again. "That isn't something you want."

Though it was subtle, Mal flinched. She pulled her hands from his. "How would you know what I want?" she questioned, expression stern.

The question made Ben smile. "It isn't hard to tell that you're only comfortable with Jay and the others. I don't offer comfort to you like they do, so why would you be willing to have sex with me?" He offered her a smile, even if he couldn't show her one hundred percent happiness — he understood her reasoning, without a doubt, didn't fault her in any way, but it still made him a little sad that he couldn't be better for her. "Mal, I want nothing more than for you to be happy."

Ben watched as Mal sucked in a breath, her jaw flexing as she blinked once, twice.

"Would you lie to me, Ben?" Mal asked, staring him down, measuring him.

"Never," he answered automatically, but he winced, recalling his ruse about the spell. "I'll try to never lie to you from this moment onward." At her skeptical, quirked eyebrow, Ben continued, smiling. "Ask me anything, and I'll tell you the truth."

It was a dangerous allowance, all things considered, especially because he'd been lying to her by omission, really, but Ben could give her that. It was the very least he could do, after everything that Mal and the others had experienced.

Intrigue painted Mal's features as she regarded his offer. "Do you want to fuck me?" she asked, point blank and unashamed. "Have you ever thought about it?"

Warmth spread across his cheeks, but Ben forced himself to keep eye contact. "I don't really like that word," he began, cheeks warming further at her raised eyebrow, "but yes, I have thought about having sex with you, and I would like to, very much. However," he continued, voice a little louder when she opened her mouth, "I don't want to do anything you're uncomfortable with or that you're not one hundred percent in favor of doing."

Silence lingered in the air as Mal studied him, weighing his words.

"Are you okay with sitting in my lap like this?" Ben asked, simply because the silence began to unnerve him. And because it seemed like Mal forgot she was in his lap.

Mal blinked, glancing down and proving Ben's theory. "Surprisingly, yes," she answered, tilting her head to the side as if it really did surprise her. "Considering you didn't really get hard."

Ben couldn't help but smile at that, as small as it was due to the embarrassment creeping back into his cheeks. "Forcing you to do something you don't want wouldn't bring me any enjoyment."

Taking a deep breath, Mal leaned back, resting half of her weight against the table as she studied Ben some more. "So, from this night onward, you'll answer any question I ask with the truth?"

Nodding, Ben gave her a smile. "Of course. I've always tried to tell you the truth."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "Tried to?" she asked.

Feeling a blush creep on him again, Ben licked his lips, wondering if this were the moment where everything fell apart. "Well, I didn't want to embarrass either of us by admitting certain things."

"Like what?" Mal asked, leaning in just a fraction. "What could possibly be so bad that you felt the need to hide it?"

"Well, confessing my feelings to you, but I wouldn't consider it _bad_ ," Ben began, chuckling a little in his nervousness. "Though, I guess I shouldn't have worried about that one, huh?"

"Yeah, sure," Mal said, averting her eyes as she moved out of his lap. She took a few steps away from the table, away from him, her arms wrapped loosely around herself.

"Mal?" he prompted, wanting to go to her, to comfort her, but knowing that he probably wouldn't be allowed.

"What else?" She turned around and glanced at him. "What else didn't you admit?" Her expression was neutral as she waited for an answer.

Ben licked his lips. "I'd rather be friends with you and the others than some of the people here," he said, trying not to lose his nerve at the way her eyes widened minutely. "It may be a terrible thing to say, but it's the truth."

He remembered at the parties he had been forced to attend, remembered all the strategy involved in a simple conversation. It had been exhausting for a child, and it was still exhausting for him now. He simply got better at smiling.

"If you hadn't asked me out," Mal said, bringing him from his thoughts, "if you were still with Audrey, would you have let Evie steal you?"

Ben blinked, the question catching him off guard. Steal me, he thought, puzzled. Does Evie like me, too, he thought, bewildered. He definitely couldn't see her settling for him, at least not enough to steal him.

"Well?" Mal prompted, hands on her hips in impatience.

Holding up his hands, Ben said, "I'm thinking." Because he _did_ have to think about it. Evie was a wonderful girl, smart and funny and kind, and she could do so much better than settling for him.

" _Thinking_ ," Mal echoed, frowning.

"Well. I hadn't allowed myself to think of her in romantic terms," he said, defensive and embarrassed. "I hadn't allowed myself to think of any of you in that way. I didn't think you all liked me that much, really."

Mal considered his words, swaying slightly side to side, her expression neutral as she stared up at the night sky.

"Would you date Lonnie?" Mal asked, as abrupt as her step toward him.

Ben blinked. "Does she like me?"

"That isn't what I asked."

Is this a test, Ben thought. "I... don't think I would," he answered.

"Why not?" Mal asked, eyes narrowing. "She's a girl in good station."

Mal's words churned his stomach, and Ben swallowed. "I look for more than that in my relationships, romantic or otherwise." 

"But she is your friend," Mal said, eyebrow raised.

"Of course."

"Yet you wouldn't date her." Mal frowned, brow creasing just so. "So you wouldn't date any friends?"

Ben chuckled, shaking his head. "No, that isn't it." At Mal's raised eyebrow, he continued. "It's about compatibility."

"Compatibility," Mal echoed, blinking.

"Yes. It's like... Have you ever felt a pull to someone?" he asked, trying to figure out how best to describe it when he himself wasn't sure. "You're just drawn to particular people, whether it's romantically or not, and you just want to see them or be with them in some way or make sure they're comfortable." He tried not to wince; who decided it was a good idea for him to discuss such a sensitive topic?

"I know that feeling," Mal said quietly. She walked back to her chair, sitting gracefully, her gaze still curious. "Who are the people you've felt a pull toward?"

Now that's a good question, he thought, nerves buzzing for a reason he didn't quite know. "Audrey," he said automatically, not failing to miss Mal's eyes narrowing. He cleared his throat. "Doug and Jane. Aziz." Ben could feel his cheek grow hot as Mal continued to stare at him, and he took a small breath. "You, Jay, Evie, and Carlos."

"So when you said you'd rather ditch some friendships," Mal began, circling the rim of her wine glass with her finger, "you didn't mean them."

"That's right," Ben answered. "Being around them isn't as stifling as others, but—"

"Being around Audrey isn't stifling?" Mal asked, incredulous.

Unable to help it, Ben laughed. "Well, sometimes, yeah. It's cliche, but you don't know her like I do."

Mal made a face, like she didn't believe him, but she shrugged. "Whatever," she said, physically waving away that topic, but she stared at him, assessing. "But what?"

"But sometimes, I'm reminded where I should stand." He averted his eyes, unsure if he wanted to see her expression at his next confession. "It kind of bums me out, a little."

"If the crown makes you uneasy, why didn't you refuse?" Mal asked.

Swallowing, he pushed his father's voice out of his head, and he glanced up at Mal, saw her genuine curiosity. "It's a great honor, and more than that, I wanted to try to do better."

A silence settled over them as Mal considered his words, her eyes searching his face, expression neutral even if her brow creased every now and then. She took in a small breath, releasing it just as quick. "If you were still with Audrey, would you have let Evie steal you?" she asked, expression turning stern. "Think about this as clear as you can."

As clear as I can, he thought, wondering what she meant by that. It was a simple question, though, with an easy answer. "I wouldn't let her steal me," Ben said. He liked to think that he was a decent guy, that he, without the influence of a love spell, wouldn't cheat on his girlfriend, no matter how much he liked spending time with Evie.

And he did like spending time with her; he liked Evie very much.

Mal narrowed her eyes. "If you _weren't_ dating Audrey, would you have gone with Evie had she asked?" She stared him down. "Don't you dare lie to me."

Ben swallowed. So much for that, he thought; he did say he'd answer in truth. "I don't really think I deserve her, but yes, I would have." He cheeks grew warm; it felt weird to admit that to Mal's face.

But Mal only nodded, like it was the most sensible answer. She raised her eyebrow. "If you weren't dating Audrey, would you have gone with Carlos had he asked?"

Ben laughed; he couldn't help it. At Mal's frown, he held up his hands. "Sorry, but I don't see Carlos ever asking me out. I don't really see him asking anyone out, actually."

Mal's frown disappeared; in fact, her lips twitched with amusement. "Well, you're correct there." She looked at him, expression thoughtful. "Would _you_ ask him out, if you weren't with Audrey?"

Sitting back in his chair, Ben mulled over the question. He liked Carlos well enough, but would he actually ask him out? "No," he said aloud, answering both himself and her question. "Not unless he showed more interest, I think. Otherwise, I'd probably assume I was bothering him."

Mal huffed, a small smile to her lips. "I see your point." That thoughtful expression returned to her face as she regarded him. "If you weren't dating Audrey, would you have gone with Jay had he asked?"

Would I have gone with Jay, he thought, unable to think of a definitive answer for Mal. It wasn't an outright no like it would be with Carlos. Jay was different, but did that mean Ben would have said yes? Truthfully, Ben thought they got along pretty well, and it was easy for Jay to bring a smile to his face, but he's begun to question that the last few days, what with Mal and the others, and Jay himself, have been saying and hinting at.

"Ben?" Mal prompted, an unreadable expression on her face.

Ben cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Sorry, I was thinking..." His cheeks grew warm once more; he couldn't believe he spaced out on her like that.

"A lot of thought into this question," she commented, tone bored but eyes gleaming.

His cheeks definitely grew hot at her words. "You know," he began, trying not to lose his nerve, "I think I'd say yes." He didn't want to imagine how well that would have gone over with his father, but Ben couldn't deny that he felt a definite pull toward Jay.

Though, truthfully, Ben hadn't considered romantic feelings behind the pull he felt...

Mal didn't seem surprised by his answer; she looked like she approved, in fact, and Ben decided not to read too much into that. "Have you kissed someone before?" she asked before he could respond to anything.

Ben blinked. "Yes."

"Guy or gal?" Mal asked.

Ben blinked again. "Uh, gal."

Mal nodded, taking another sip of her wine. "So you haven't kissed a guy yet?"

Yet, he thought, bewildered. "Was I supposed to?"

Snorting, Mal shrugged. "I don't know how things work in Auradon. On the island, nobody cared who you got with."

"Ah," Ben said intelligently. "Well, no one really cares about that here, either. As long as you love that person."

Mal scrunched up her nose. "So most people don't fu—screw each other for the hell of it?"

Oh dear, he thought, knowing that he was way out of his depth for this particular topic. "I mean, I'm sure some do? It just isn't for everyone, you know. Everyone is different and has their own preferences."

"And what are your preferences?" Mal asked, genuine intrigue on her features, leaning in a little.

Oh _dear_ , he thought, discomfort creeping in. "This is making me really uncomfortable," he said without thought, but now that the words were out, he couldn't deny their truth.

Mal blinked. "What?"

"I'm uncomfortable," Ben repeated.

"Why?" Mal asked, confused.

Unable to stop himself, Ben sighed, running his hands over his face. "I just... don't think like that?"

"So you've never had sex," Mal ventured, no judgment, no accusation, in her tone or features.

"Nope," Ben said. "I usually don't think about anything like that."

"But you told me you thought about fucking me," Mal said, confused. She blinked, giving him a half-shrug. "Sorry, having sex with me."

"Yes, tonight. As in, when you offered. Because, you know, you brought it up." Ben honestly would not have pictured their dinner taking this turn. "Any other day, no, it wouldn't be on my mind."

"But why not?" Mal said, her confusion bordering on annoyance.

"Do you think about it constantly?" Ben asked, his embarrassment giving way for frustration to rear its ugly head in.

Mal blinked. "Of course not." She shrugged. "But it's just so weird to hear that you don't. I thought humans were like that."

Humans? Does Mal know about her heritage, he thought, studying her. "So you're saying that Jay, Evie, and Carlos constantly think about sex?"

"I wouldn't say constantly," Mal said with a wave of her hand. "And I wouldn't put Carlos on the same terms as Jay and Evie."

"See, it's like I said. Everyone has their preferences."

"And you don't care," she said, eyes narrowing.

"About?"

"About the fact that Evie and Jay think about sex." She made a face. "A lot, apparently."

"It doesn't bother me." It was none of his business what they did in their own head.

Mal hesitated, playing with the few bits of food still on her plate. "What about the fact that they've had sex before?" she asked, glancing up with something akin to fire in her eyes. "Does that bother you?"

Breathe, he thought, telling himself to keep his expression in check. "That doesn't bother me either," he answered, knowing that their past could never bother him, not in the way Mal thought it would.

Though the intensity lessened, the fire was still in her eyes. "What about the fact that I've had sex before, more or less?"

"Mal, it doesn't bother me," Ben said, hoping that she would believe him, hoping that she saw that he would never place judgment on their past, on a past they had no control over.

Mal stared at him, expression vulnerable, disbelieving almost. She swallowed. "I think that's enough questions for tonight." She stood up, stepping away from the table. She looked at him, unsure.

Standing, Ben offered her a smile. "Do you want me to walk you to your dorm?" he asked, not moving until she gave the word. Something he said must have struck a nerve, and as he didn't know exactly what he did, he was going to let her take the lead the rest of the night.

"No," Mal said slowly, brow creased a fraction, "not tonight." Even as she said the words, she still looked unsure as she stared at him.

What can I do to ease your thoughts, he thought, wondering what he had said to cause Mal to react this way. "Do you want to take some dessert for the others?" he asked, remembering that he did indeed bring dessert; it seemed a shame to let it go to waste.

Lips twitching upward, Mal nodded.

Ben smiled as he walked to the dessert tray. Luckily, he had thought ahead and brought little to-go containers, as well as a bag so she could carry them. As he packed several for all four of them, Ben could feel Mal's eyes on him the entire time, and while there was no heat or judgment in the gaze, he still felt as if she were making a study of him.

"Here you are," he said when he was done, offering her the bag.

"Thanks," she murmured, being careful not to touch his hand, staring at the bag for a few moments before she let out a small sigh and looked him in the eye. "See you around."

"See you," Ben returned, inclining his head. He wanted to take her hand and offer a kiss, but seeing how she acted, he knew that would be a bad idea.

Instead, he watched as she sauntered toward the door to the roof, wondering if there would ever be a time where they would be comfortable around each other, wondering if there would ever be a time where he didn't stick his foot in his mouth.

"Ben," she called, her hand on the door handle, looking at him with that unreadable expression.

"Yes, Mal," Ben said, giving her his full attention.

Her eyes searched his for a moment, and for the first time since she stood up, Mal seemed at ease. "I'm looking forward to our next date." And then she was gone.

Ben stood there, blindsided, and he looked to the stars, his smile growing.

—

Ben forced himself still. He didn't know why he was nervous; after all, this was his third date with Mal (fourth, if he counted the game night), so he should be used to it by now.

After all, he saw her in the halls between classes, and he sat with her and the others at lunch; in fact, it seemed like one of them from the group was always near him at some point in the day, so they all might have gotten comfortable with each other, enough that he asked her out again only two days after their last.

Only, Mal had told him she was looking forward to another date. Only, Mal still believed he was under the spell.

This is getting a little out of hand, he thought, the unease in his gut bubbling at the fact that he was still lying to her. Maybe he should just come clean? Wouldn't it be better to tell Mal that the love spell had faded sooner, rather than later? Would the breach in trust be greater if he waited?

Groaning, Ben closed his eyes, attempting to calm his nerves while he waited on Mal's arrival. It's times like this I wish I could talk to the Fairy Godmother, he thought, a wry half-smile on his face.

He knew he couldn't, of course, not without the Fairy Godmother scolding, or worse, Mal for improper use of magic. But she was the only one Ben knew who had any idea about the ways of the fae, about magic itself, and sometimes it burned Ben not to be able to read up on the topics.

_For the good of the kingdom, Ben_ , a little voice whispered to him, sounding much too like the Fairy Godmother's, and Ben sighed, knowing that he should leave well enough alone.

It wasn't like knowing about the whimsical, the mystical, the preternatural would give him all the answers in relation to his dating Mal.

Just breathe; if you get lost, just follow your heart, he thought, his nerves settling. All he had to do was breathe, and things would turn out okay.

A part of him, though, still worried that Mal would be underwhelmed with this date's location and activity, but Ben couldn't _not_ bring her here, to his secret spot. He wanted to share with her all the little things he loved, he wanted to show her that he did genuinely care for her, that it wasn't some love spell making him reveal things he usually kept hidden.

A gentle breeze fanned his face, and Ben opened his eyes to see Mal walking toward him, and he felt his smile grow, his hand moving to wave. But he paused, blinking.

Mal wasn't alone.

Jay walked beside her, his hands in his pockets, his head tilted down some.

Why would she bring Jay, he thought, puzzled, before realization dawned on him. Jay had been there before, so perhaps he was simply escorting Mal to make sure she arrived with no trouble. Ben's smile softened at the notion; Jay always made him smile.

"Hey, Mal, Jay," Ben greeted once they were close enough.

"Hey, Ben," Mal returned with a smile, and she glanced at Jay, clearing her throat a little.

Swallowing, Jay glanced at Ben. "Hey." His hands were still in his pockets, his shoulders still hunched.

He's nervous, Ben thought, confused and concerned. What could be troubling Jay?

"Jay's staying," Mal said, authoritative, chin lifted slightly, daring him to challenge her.

Ben looked at Jay, watched him hunch into himself a little more.

"I don't have to," he mumbled, physically shying away from Mal's gaze.

"Nonsense," Ben said automatically, disliking Jay like this. "We'd be happy to have you."

"Sure, _Mal_ would," Jay said, frown deepening.

"And so would I, Jay," Ben said, hoping his sincerity would be understood. "Besides, don't you remember what I told you before?" When Jay looked at him with a furrowed brow, Ben smiled and continued, "I meant it when I said you could use this place." His smile softened when Jay's eyes widened. "And I meant it when I said you're not alone."

"On your life," Jay said, the same level of disbelief on his face as when he said it the first time.

It only meant that Ben still had some work to do so that Jay believed him. For now, though, Ben merely nodded, reiterating his own words. "On my life."

"Well," Mal said, eyebrow raised, the beginnings of a smirk to her lips, "I'm sure the story behind that little exchange is _fascinating_."

Ben watched as Jay blinked at Mal, fidgeting.

"Uh, remember the whole shoving against a tree thing Carlos brought up?" Jay said through a wince.

Mal stared at Jay with a furrowed brow before she blinked. " _Ah_ , yeah," she said as she glanced at the great oak. "So you've been here before." She watched as Jay nodded.

Her words made Ben pause. So if she didn't know Jay had been here before, why did she bring him, he thought, more curious by the minute.

Not that he minded Jay's presence. He liked Jay.

"So, who's ready for a picnic?" Ben asked, gesturing to the blanket and basket.

Jay smiled as he and Mal sat down, waiting for Ben to sit opposite them. "So, you have a thing for feeding your partners?" he asked, leaning a little into Mal's space.

Smiling, Ben shrugged. "I hardly ever get to make anything, and so when I do, I want to share it with you." He opened the basket, self-conscious now that he had their full attention; he'd never been as great in the kitchen as his mother was.

"Both of us?" Jay asked, skeptical.

"Yeah, both of you," Ben said, pulling out the desserts first. He glanced at Jay, blinking when he noticed Jay tense. "You know, Jay, I didn't think you liked me that much."

Both Mal and Jay stared at him.

"You're kidding," Mal said, quiet, incredulous, as if she were talking to herself.

"Well, no," he began, self-consciousness creeping up on him. "I mean, I thought we got along pretty well, but..."

"But," Mal prompted.

Ben sighed. "But little things made me question whether my interpretation of our relationship was incorrect."

"Like what," Jay asked quietly.

Ben shrugged, regretting the topic. "Just the way Mal or Evie said some things. Plus, our conversation after game night kind of confirmed that you weren't comfortable with me."

Mal looked at Jay, eyebrow raised.

Shoulders hunching, Jay shrugged, crossing his arm. "It wasn't uncomfortable in a bad way..."

I don't know how to take that, Ben thought, glancing at Mal, who had snorted.

"What does that even mean," she said, a slight shake to her head. She raised her hand when Jay opened his mouth, a half-smile on her lips. "Never mind. You probably shouldn't try to explain something you're not even sure about."

"Thank, Allah," Jay whispered, shoulders sagging with relief, as if Mal's words were the end of the conversation.

And they might as well be, Ben thought, watching both Mal and Jay look at him expectantly. If they don't want to discuss it further, then I won't push the topic, he thought as he opened the other basket, insulated to keep the meal he cooked earlier warm.

"I hope you like pizza," he said, smiling at the way they perked up as they smelled the aroma.

As he offered a slice to each, Ben noticed that Jay was more reserved than Mal, and he wondered if it had to do with the fact that he thought he was intruding on their date or if he merely wasn't sure about the food Ben offered. Ben decided to go with the first option, as Jay seemed to relax when Mal took a bite, blinking at him expectantly.

Mal watched Jay try a bite before she glanced at Ben. "So you made this yourself, too?"

"Yeah, my last class let out early due to an exam, so I figured I'd try my hand at something new," he said, pouring them some juice.

"So you've never made this before," Jay said around a mouthful.

Chuckling, Ben shook his head. "Well, I've made it once before, but I was a lot younger, so it probably wasn't very good."

"We probably wouldn't have noticed," Jay said with a shrug, but he hummed as he finished chewing. "This is pretty awesome, though."

"I'm glad," Ben said, proud and affectionate. "I also brought other goodies, of course, so please, help yourselves."

Since Mal had taken a liking to strawberries during their first date, Ben made sure to bring some along, but he also brought a small assortment of fruits as well, a fact he was grateful for doing since Jay had accompanied Mal today, and he made sure to have some small pastries for dessert.

It was as fascinating watching Jay try the different foods as it had been watching Mal, as Jay held no restraint in showing how much he liked something, and Ben couldn't help but feel affection and warmth that he was able to bring even the smallest of joys to them.

Though, it was also amusing to see Jay lean all over Mal, to see Mal rolling her eyes but trying to suppress her grin at Jay's antics; Jay practically lounged across Mal's lap, reminding Ben of a cat, a lazy grin on his face as he came close to flicking Mal's nose, and Mal mirrored Jay's grin, tossing locks of Jay's own hair in his face as he laughed.

Looking at them brought a smile to Ben's face.

Jay glanced at him and stopped mid laugh, staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you smiling about?"

"The two of you," Ben answered honestly.

"Us?" Mal asked, eyebrow raised as well.

"Yeah, you look good together," Ben said, smile softening. He could see them dating, if they were so inclined, but more than that, he could see how much they trusted each other, how well they knew each other.

"Really," Jay said as he sat up, no longer leaning into Mal as much.

Head tilted, Ben nodded. "You do. You're relaxed and comfortable. You know, I don't think I've seen either of you smile like that before." He felt fortunate he was able to witness such a sight. "It was a good look."

"Uh huh," Jay murmured, and he crawled toward Ben, intrigue on his face. "And what about now?" he asked as he slipped into Ben's lap, straddling him.

"Jay," Mal said on a sigh, but she didn't appear angry or annoyed.

It didn't seem to bother Jay as he rested his hands on Ben's shoulders. "What about now," he repeated, looking down at Ben.

Blinking, Ben shrugged. "Well, you're a little heavy," he said lightly, smiling a little when Jay grinned. "But you still look good from this angle." He'd rarely seen Jay so comfortable around him, so affectionate, and despite their protests, Ben really had begun to believe Jay didn't like him.

Ben was glad to find out that they had spoken the truth.

Now, though, Jay looked at him with a gleam in his eyes, his expression serious for a moment before his grin came back. "In that case," he said, grinning wider as he maneuvered himself off of Ben only to lay across him, as he'd done with Mal, "gonna feed me grapes or some shit?"

"Jay." This time, Mal definitely sounded more exasperated, amusement on her features.

"Do you want me to?" Ben asked, and he rested his hands on Jay. He figured that Jay didn't mind physical affection, seeing as Ben had noticed Jay being the more physical of the four, so he placed a hand on Jay's chest and the other on Jay's head.

Jay blinked up at him, eyes getting a little droopy when Ben began smoothing down his hair. "Huh," he murmured, eyes finally closing, and he sighed, his body going slack. His easy breathing told Ben he'd fallen asleep.

Wow, Ben thought, smiling softly as he took in Jay's relaxed posture, his expression. He looked a lot younger in sleep, like he didn't have any worries, like he didn't come from the island. This is too small a gesture, but I can give you this, he thought as he continued smoothing down Jay's hair.

A hum brought Ben out of his musings, and he looked up to see Mal openly studying him.

"Did I do something wrong?" Ben asked, wondering if being so comfortable with Jay didn't sit well with her.

Blinking, Mal turned her attention to picking out the perfect strawberry. "No," she said, plucking one out of the basket and taking a bite.

"But I did do _some_ thing," Ben guessed, not missing how Mal's eyes traveled to Jay's sleeping form before settling on him again.

Mal smirked, shrugging in an unbelievably unconvincing way. She took another bite.

Her actions only made Ben smile.

I'm glad she doesn't mind this, he thought as he continued to smooth out Jay's hair. His mother used to do this for him all the time when he was younger, and Ben remembered how at ease it made him, so he was glad to give that to Jay, to give Jay a little peace of mind; he would let Jay sleep as long as he'd like, even if his thighs fall asleep, because Ben wanted to give Jay, give them all, the little comforts they might have missed out on the island.

Ben didn't even want to think about how Jay looked at the Halloween Ball. That look would probably haunt Ben for the rest of his life, and he never, ever wanted Jay to experience that again; it was too heartbreaking.

"Why do you look at him like that?" Mal asked him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Ben blinked. "Like what?"

"If I knew the look, I wouldn't ask," she said, annoyed as she picked out another strawberry. "Your face gets softer, I guess. It... almost looks like you want to protect him." Her expression, her disbelief, told Ben that she thought that couldn't possibly be the truth.

"Mal..." Ben began, but the words failed him. Did she really think he didn't care at all? "I do want to protect him."

"Why?" Mal asked, uncomprehending. "Just because he's mine?"

Her wording intrigued him, but now wasn't the time to focus on that. Instead, Ben merely shrugged. "That's part of the reason," he conceded. "He's your friend, and your friends are important to me. But," he continued when Mal opened her mouth, "Jay, on his own, is important to me, too." Is that really so hard for her to see, he thought, deciding not to take offense; life must not have been easy on the island, after all. "I liked Jay the moment I met him. I liked you all."

Mal studied him, brow creased. "So you want to protect us all?"

"Yes," Ben answered honestly. After all, he got them off the island because he wanted to protect them from it, protect them from their _parents_.

"Equally?" Mal asked, expression so neutral but eyes so bright.

Trying not to wince, Ben shook his head.

The neutrality of her face broke for a moment, intrigue flashing across her features. "Who do you want to protect more?"

Wondering if it would make her angry, wondering if he should answer this question honestly, Ben said, "Jay."

Surprise blossomed on her face. "Why," she said flatly. "What gave you that impression? I thought for sure you'd say Carlos."

Ben stared at Mal for a few moments. She seemed neither upset or angry with his answer; in fact, he'd say she was more curious, so, like all the other questions, he told her the truth. "When you first arrived at Auradon Prep, you guys put on a show of making Carlos the weak one, didn't you?"

Surprised, Mal nodded, swallowing quietly. "And you didn't believe that?" she guessed.

"No," he said with a smile. "No one that weak, or that scared, would be able to stare down a stranger and assess them right to their face." He remembered being surprised by it, by the way Carlos looked at him, the weight of his gaze. "And Carlos' gaze practically burned me."

"Why am I not surprised," Mal muttered, and her gaze cut to Ben, sharp and assessing. "And what about Jay? What gave that impression for him? Did you study him, too?"

"Well, I wouldn't say study," Ben said lightly, weighing his words. "After his little show with Carlos, after he hit on Audrey, Jay lost the confidence he displayed. So much so he couldn't look at us directly." He remembered being surprised by that, too, remembered the urge to soothe and protect being strong even then. "And sometimes, I'd look at him, and he'd look... lost, I guess. Conflicted and confused, maybe. It didn't help how he reacted to his locker being vandalized."

"Vandalized," Mal echoed. "Didn't think you'd know the word." She glanced at Jay before giving Ben her attention. "And how did he look?"

Ben frowned at the memory. "Afraid, actually. Like I was going to yell at him or something. I didn't get it. It wasn't his fault someone was jealous of his skill." He never wanted to see that look on Jay's face again, especially if it were aimed at him.

Mal shook her head, a huff escaping her, and the corner of her mouth twitched upward. "Jealousy, in this place? Doesn't seem possible sometimes." Seriousness returned to her features. "And how do you know it was a teammate? Maybe it _was_ Jay." She raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't that have been the first thought in your head? Considering he was the only one who wasn't good."

"Good doesn't mean nice," Ben said quietly. "And nice is different than good."

Mal furrowed her brow.

"You've done nice things before, haven't you?"

"Me?" Mal asked, expression incredulous.

"Yeah, you," Ben said with a smile. "I don't think the others would stick with you if you hadn't been nice at least sometimes."

"They didn't stick with me because I was nice, Ben," she said flatly. "They stuck with me because I was the most feared in our school."

Ben could see that making sense, but he still didn't believe that was the only reason they stuck together. "So in all the time that you've known them, you've never been nice to them?"

Mal's brow creased as she fidgeted, just the tiniest bit. "Define nice," she said, though by the way she averted her eyes, Ben guessed she was stalling.

"Doing something for them for their sake and not yours."

"Then I've never done anything nice," Mal said calmly.

"What about after the ball?" Ben asked softly, wondering if he should bring it up.

Freezing, Mal glanced at him. "What?"

"You got them out of there," he said gently, his touch even gentler lest the mere mention of that night wake Jay up. "You were with them all night, weren't you?"

Mal stared at him, glancing briefly at his hand in Jay's hair. "Ben, what do you think I did with them all night?" she asked slowly, expression unreadable.

Ben sensed a trap, but he smiled and shook his head. "You were _with_ them all night," he said simply, watching her eyes widened slightly. "That in itself is a kindness."

Mal remained silent. "So now you're equating nice with kind," she said, mostly to herself. "Are you saying kind is different than good?"

"I'm saying it isn't so clear cut," Ben said. He had no idea if he were making sense to her, but he tried to explain as best he could. "Kind people can be bad. Bad people can be nice. A person can be all three." He offered her a smile. "Good isn't something you are. Good is something you do."

Ben watched as Mal weighed his words, turning a strawberry in her hand, seemingly memorizing every intricate detail in her attempt to understand their meaning.

I hope I haven't confused you, he thought, and he turned his gaze to Jay. Gently, he used his thumb to brush away the small crease that appeared on his brow when Ben had stopped smoothing his hair back, too busy trying not to make a fool of himself in his conversation with Mal. Now that he resumed his movement, Jay once again slept soundly, and Ben smiled.

But now, after conversing with Mal about the virtues of good and evil, looking at Jay only made him remember that day in the locker room. His first assumption was that someone else had reacted poorly to Jay, an islander, being on the team without much effort and excelling in a sport that they had practiced for a few years of their lives.

The idea of Jay being the culprit was the furthest from his mind, especially since he had a look akin to terror was on his face when Ben and Carlos had approached him. He felt ill just remembering Jay's expression.

Why can't I protect them better, he thought, smoothing down Jay's hair hair.

When he realized that silence had settled over them for a stretch too long, Ben glanced up and saw Mal staring at him, her brow furrowed, clearly hesitant in a way he had never seen her.

"Do you want to ask me something, Mal?" he asked, curious. When her expression turned skeptical, he continued, "I told you, I'll answer anything you ask with the truth."

Mal blinked at him, her gaze flickering to Jay before settling back on his face. "Did you love Audrey?"

Oh, he thought, swallowing down the small ache in his chest whenever he thought of Audrey. "Yes, I cared for her. I still do," he said, watching Mal's face, seeing her jaw flex, his chest tightening because of it. "There's different types of love, Mal, so just because I wasn't in love with her doesn't mean I don't love her."

He might not have been in love with Audrey, but he was pretty sure what he felt toward her had been the closest to the real thing.

"So Evie was right," Mal said quietly, features neutral. "Your betrothal was arranged."

"Evie..." Ben chuckled, not surprised that she had figured it out; he'd come to find nothing really got by the girl. "Evie would make a great queen." And he could see it so easily, could see Evie ruling her mother's kingdom and returning it to its former glory.

"I agree," Mal said, expression soft for a moment before it hardened, "but I think it was made pretty clear what people think about her pedigree here."

"Only what some think," Ben said, trying not to wince at that memory; he didn't want to see that expression on Evie's face again. "I need to apologize to her for that. I never did."

There was a glint to Mal's eyes as she looked at him. "You didn't say it."

"I'm still sorry she had to go through that."

"Why should it matter if you apologize or not?"

"I know I have no right to say this," Ben began, uneasy with the suspicion laced in Mal's voice, even a little hurt. "I've only known you guys for a short while. But I do care for Evie, the same way I care for you, Jay, and Carlos."

Mal remained silent, staring into space as she considered his words.

I wonder how much she believes me, Ben thought as he glanced down at Jay, wondering how they all saw him. He tried not to think too much about their image of him, knew that he had no right to worry about such a thing, but sometimes, he couldn't help it; he wanted them to know that he meant all he said to them, all that he tried to do for them.

"You never ask me questions," Mal said, abrupt as she grabbed a grape.

Ben blinked. "I figured after the Carlos incident, you didn't like questions," he said.

"True enough," Mal conceded, the corners of her lips twitching downward, "but I know you want to, so go ahead. I'll let you know if I don't feel like answering something." She shrugged but looked genuinely curious.

Well, she did give permission, he thought, figuring he might as well ask the question that's been on his mind their whole date. "Why did you bring Jay along?" he asked, his curiosity burning. "I don't mind it," he added, "I'm just curious."

Huffing, Mal smirked, her eyes settling on Jay. "It figures you'd ask a tough one right out the gate."

"You don't have to answer," Ben said, despite the intrigue that grew in response to her answer.

"I could," Mal drawled, a smirk still on her lips, "but I usually don't like to reveal secrets unless absolutely called for."

"I'm not asking you to reveal anything. I was just curious." Ben bit his bottom lip, unable to keep the _second_ question from going unspoken. "But... Can I ask if he's okay? You know, after what happened at the ball..." He tried to keep his hold on Jay light, but he couldn't stop a shudder from passing through him at the memory of Jay's face, of his eyes, that night.

A frown forming on her lips, Mal's gaze settled on Jay. "I think that stupid game helped a lot," she said with a roll of her eyes, but as she focused on Jay again, her expression softened, "but he's doing much better as a whole." She glanced up at Ben, hesitant as she added, "Since arriving here."

A weight of worry eased off of Ben's heart, and he breathed a sigh of a relief. "I'm glad," he said softly.

"How do you feel about Jay?" Mal asked, abrupt and pointed, gaze once again critical. "You danced with him, and you never dance with guys."

Warmth spreading across his cheeks, Ben asked, "Who told you that?" It wasn't that he could complain, as it was the truth; he never danced with guys during any of the balls he had attended, formal or otherwise, and he remembered his nerves almost scattered as he led Jay on the floor; in fact, the only thing that kept him grounded were Jay's eyes.

So what did that say about his feelings toward Jay?

"Jane," Mal said, unashamed.

"And Jane never lies," Ben said, nodding a little and smiling. He couldn't fault Jane.

"She doesn't?" Mal scrunched up her nose. "Figures..."

Wait a minute... he thought, looking at Mal in a new light, curious. "Mal, do you lie?"

Mal looked at him, features neutral. "What would you do if I were lying to you right now?"

"I'd forgive you," he said, unable to stop the smile at her eyeroll. "No, I would. I really enjoy spending time with you and getting to know the others." Besides, he did deserve it if she were lying to him, so he wouldn't fault her for that; lying to him would be a far, far too lenient sentence.

"Do you lie?" Mal asked, a glint in her eyes.

Ben stared. "All the time. In a bed," he said, deadpan.

Mal blinked. She closed her eyes. "I can't believe you just said that," she said, close to groaning, despite the way the corners of her mouth twitched upward.

Ben laughed, proud of himself for keeping a straight face, delighted that his little joke amused Mal.

"I'm gonna beat you both," Jay mumbled, turning over some in Ben's lap, practically snuggled close.

"Your face is pretty close to my crotch, Jay," Ben said as a courtesy.

Jay sat up lightning quick, blinking at his surroundings, scooting away from Ben.

"Had a nice nap, sunshine?" Mal asked, a smirk on her lips.

"Please just... Let's not mention this ever," he mumbled, still a little flustered.

"Why not?" Ben asked, confused. Had he done something wrong?

"Because you're weird," Jay said flatly.

Ben blinked. "I'm... weird?"

Mal snorted. "Really, Jay," she said, amused. 

"What," Jay said, defensive as he crossed his arms. "This is the second time I fell asleep here, so he's weird."

"Wouldn't it be more accurate to say this place is weird, then?" Ben suggested, amused as well. He was just thankful he hadn't done anything to upset Jay.

"It's all weird," Jay said, a slight pout to his lips.

Ben chuckled. "You can take the food back with you to make up for it."

"You were going to let us do that anyway," Mal said with a smirk.

"True," Ben said with a laugh, getting up and not even bothering to dust himself off, "but if it would ease Jay's mind..." He offered Jay his hand, smiling.

"What should it matter if my mind's a mess or not," Jay mumbled as he took Ben's hand, standing and taking a step away. He shoved his hands in his pockets, eyes downcast.

Mal remained seated and silent, glancing at Ben with a curious expression.

Ben swallowed. "It matters because we care about you," he said to Jay.

Jay glanced up, skeptical. "I think your mind's messed up to be spouting crap like that."

"Jay," Mal said, the warning in her tone evident despite the lack of change in her expression. Though, she did narrow her eyes minutely when all that got in response was a shrug from Jay.

Is that was this is about, he thought, glancing between them. "Testing someone's loyalty isn't fair to that person," he said, chest tightening.

Jay looked at him in surprise.

Ben shrugged. "It feels like you want me to prove my sincerity." He kept his focus on Jay even as he offered Mal a hand. "Can't you take my word for it?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew they were the wrong thing to say — not to mention stupid.

"No," Mal said as she took Ben's hand, standing and flicking off imaginary lint on her jeans. "You can't take someone's word on the island." She regarded him, curiosity still in her features.

"Okay," he said, wondering if he could find a way to ease Jay's mind. He glanced at Jay, who still had his hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched. "What do you need me to do to show you that I care about you?" Ben asked, bracing himself for whatever demand might come.

"I-I don't need you to do anything," Jay said in a rush, eyes wide in surprise, and he turned to Mal, movement jerky, nowhere near his usual level of grace. "Mal, help me out here."

"Nope," Mal said without hesitation, a hand on her hip as she leveled a steady gaze on Jay. "Finish what you start."

"He's _yours_ ," Jay protested.

"Jay," Ben called softly, not understanding why Jay froze and stared at him with wide eyes, "please."

Swallowing, Jay bit his bottom lip, brow furrowed as he continued to stare at Ben. "This is stupid," he sighed out, frustrated as he ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. Letting out a frustrated huff, he gestured at Ben wildly as he said, "Just do something you wouldn't with anyone else."

Ben blinked. What would I do with Jay that I wouldn't with anyone else, he thought, his heart beating a half step faster. His thoughts brought him to his and Mal's dinner date, to the conversation they had while Jay slept in his lap, and Ben took a small breath as stepped forward.

"May I have this dance?" he asked as he offered his hand to Jay, smiling despite the fluttering in his stomach. And though his nerves were buzzing, there was also a giddiness within him as he awaited Jay's answer.

He realized with a start that he wanted to dance with Jay again.

Silent and still, Jay stared at Ben. "I... There's no music," he said, his words rushed, and he swallowed.

It only made Ben's smile soften. "It's like a heartbeat," he said softly. "I won't let you stumble," he added, a promise, as he raised his hand a fraction higher, hoping that Jay would take his offer.

After what felt like several long minutes, Jay hesitantly took hold of Ben's hand, uncertain as he looked Ben in the eye.

Smiling wide, Ben gently moved Jay into waltz position, his heart once again beating a half step quicker. "Follow my lead, okay?"

Jay took in a breath, nodding as he gave himself a little shake all over, his hair shifting with the movement, and a small gleam of light caught on his earlobe, on the earring he wore.

"That color suits you," Ben said, smile softening as he tucked stray strands of hair behind Jay's left ear, admiring the red stone of his earring, his fingertips grazing the shell of Jay's ear.

Shivering, Jay broke their stance, moving away with a quick step. "Okay, I get it," he mumbled, and if Ben's eyes weren't playing tricks on him, it looked like Jay's cheeks were darker; he even bit his bottom lip.

Oh, he thought, his own cheeks warming at the sight of Jay flustered. Does that mean Jay likes me too, he thought, stunned — Now that Ben thought about it, Mal had said that there was a reason she brought Jay along, that it was a secret she herself didn't want to reveal, and it _could_ explain why Jay had seemed nervous and unsure throughout the date, could even explain what the girls had said about him and Jay since the championship. He glanced at Mal, curious.

Mal, though, only wore a small, secretive smile on her lips. "Well," she drawled, her smile turning into a smirk, "we better get going. It is a school day after all."

Clearing his throat, Ben nodded. "Of course. I'll pack up and you can share the rest with Evie and Carlos." As Mal didn't seem pressed to address what had just happened, Ben figured he shouldn't press either.

"Whatever you want," Mal said sweetly, mischief in her eyes as she glanced at Jay. "Jay, help him."

Ben almost let out a protest, not wanting to inconvenience or embarrass Jay further, but it died in his throat when Jay immediately followed Mal's instruction. Instead, he merely continued to pack, making sure things were secured properly before handing the baskets to both Jay and Mal.

"You can do what I know you hold back doing whenever we part," Mal said to Ben, presenting Jay, smiling at the confusion on Jay's face.

I'm not even surprised she knows, he thought, debating on whether or not he should, given how Jay had been acting throughout their date, given what Ben _thought_ was revealed just moments ago. Still, Mal's expression was both encouraging and expectant, so Ben figured he could try.

If it were too much for Jay, Ben would stop and step away immediately.

Cautiously, Ben gently took hold of Jay's hand, watching for any signs of discomfort as he leaned in, but he only saw Jay stare quietly at him, his eyes becoming half-lidded. Closing his eyes, Ben pressed a light kiss on the back of Jay's hand, only opening his eyes when he heard Jay's slow intake of breath. "Have a pleasant evening," he said softly as he released Jay's hand.

Jay said nothing, only nodding and swallowing quietly. He glanced at Mal.

Mal's smile could only be described as approving. "Head back, I'll be right behind you."

Without another word, but with a lingering glance on Ben, Jay turned and began the trek back to the dormitories.

Ben watched him go, something fluttering around in his belly.

"Ben," Mal said, soft and low, a not-quite-there smile to her lips as she brought her hand to his cheek, "I'm looking forward to our next date." She lingered for a second too long then walked away.

Speechless and heart fluttering, Ben watched them go, that giddiness returning to him as a smile broke out on his lips.

—

Ben stood vigil at the entrance of the gardens, eyes closed as he enjoyed the gentle breeze. Surprisingly, his nerves were calm.

His third date with Mal — and first date with Jay, apparently — had made him calmer in her presence. Of course, Jay's presence probably helped a great deal with that. He didn't know, exactly, what that meant, but he had enjoyed his time with both of them that day, and he even found himself hoping for another date like that.

Laughter, nervous and quick, broke into his thoughts, and Ben opened his eyes. Walking toward him were Mal and Evie, arms linked, Mal whispering something into Evie's ear, undoubtedly trying to calm Evie's obvious nervous fidgeting.

Ben smiled. He had a feeling both girls would show up for this date, and he didn't mind the turn of events one bit, glad that he had the forethought to plan accordingly.

"Mal, Evie, good afternoon," he greeted when they got close enough, taking a few steps toward them.

"Hello, Ben," Evie returned, curtsying. She fidgeted once more as she righted herself. Her dress, a paler blue to match Mal's paler purple, was to her knees, her legs bare — a first since arriving at Auradon Prep, if Ben recalled correctly — half her hair pulled up and braided. Her makeup was light, made to look like it was barely there.

She had obviously taken much greater care on her appearance than she usually did, and her nerves were plain to see, her expression so open and vulnerable, even though Ben didn't understand why she would be for someone like him.

Still, it made Ben's heart swell, and he wanted nothing more than to reassure her, to let her know that she was extraordinary, inside and out. He bowed, taking her hand as he glanced up at her. "You've never looked more beautiful, Your Royal Highness." He placed a soft, chaste kiss to the back of her hand.

Evie's smile put the stars in the sky to shame.

"I guess you know Evie's staying," Mal said, amused as she looked between them.

Chuckling, Ben nodded. "I figured, and the more the merrier," he said, gesturing for them to follow him into the gardens.

"Are we having a garden picnic this time?" Mal asked, arm still linked with Evie's, guiding her.

Smiling, Ben glanced at her. "Tired of picnics?"

Mal shrugged, the corner of her mouth quirking upward. "They've all been entertaining so far."

"I'm glad," Ben said with a smile, glancing at Evie, wondering how she felt, wondering if she'd like their destination.

He led them down the many paths of the garden sanctuary, a beautiful maze of hedges and flowers and wonderful scents, passing the many high arches of the entryways.

"Where are we going?" Evie asked after they passed the sixth entryway, puzzled as she looked around.

Grinning, Ben produced the key he kept safely tucked away in his pocket. "A secret garden." He walked along a specific hedge, a hedge adorned with forget-me-nots, and when he came across the small patch of hedge without any, he pushed, revealing a hidden door.

Evie smiled wide, and she held onto Mal's arm as she bounced with excitement. "A secret garden," she echoed, a giggle to her voice. "How wonderful."

Mal rolled her eyes, but a smile was on her lips as Ben used the key, unlocking the door and letting them into the garden.

It was a garden he had visited many times with his mother, as it was one of her favorite gifts from his father. Tucked away as the heart of the labyrinth, the garden was a near perfect get away for much needed solitude, as there was only one key that unlocked its door.

His mother gifted him with that key upon his acceptance into Auradon Prep, and Ben had made rare use of it since. It felt too lonely to sit within its walls by himself, and yet it felt too wrong to bring anyone else with him.

The only person that Ben had come close to bringing with him was Audrey. In fact, he wanted to bring her after their betrothal was finalized, to celebrate, to ask her himself to be his wife, but, well. His father ruined that.

Now, though, as he watched Evie look around in wonder and joy, as he watched Mal watch Evie with that soft smile, Ben knew he made the right decision, and his affection for the girls only grew.

He let them explore as they wished, instead opting to move the table he had prepared: place sets for three, a variety of tea, a covered tiered cake stand layered with sandwiches, scones, and petits fours and mini éclairs; a thick tome lay next to the cake stand, and a small bag rested under the table, its contents a special box and some take home containers for whatever remained at the end of their date.

"It's so wonderful," Evie murmured, twirling as she laughed. "So much more lovely than my mother's garden." She gave an excited squeak as she pointed to the willow tree. "It even has a swing!"

Mal huffed as she sat down in the seat Ben offered, shaking her head with a small smile. "So easily amused."

"You love it," Evie said with a bright smile as she moved to the table, sitting down in the chair Ben had pulled out for her. Her eyes immediately fell on the book. "You brought reading material to a date?" she asked, tone teasing.

Laughing quietly, Ben nodded as he sat down. "I do when it's about my date."

The smile faded on both girls' faces, and they stared at the book with wariness.

"And what does this say about us?" Mal asked, tone and expression neutral.

Ben was prepared for their reaction, but his nerves spiked as he licked his lips. "Well, it doesn't say anything about you."

Mal's sharp gaze cut into him before she glanced at Evie, who now sat upright, impossibly rigid.

"What does it say about me," she said flatly.

"That you're more noble than I'll ever be," Ben said, smiling softly when both girls wore identical shocked expressions. He pushed the book toward Evie. "This holds the lineages of all royal lines that held the crown in your mother's kingdom."

Evie stared at the book, swallowing as she hesitantly reached for it. "Where did you get this?" she asked, her hand ghosting over the cover, over its binding.

"As High King, you're privileged on all royal lineages," Ben answered, watching Evie tentatively open the book. "I have copies of the history to every kingdom under Auradon's banner."

"Fine," Mal said, already bored with the politics, "but what does that have to do with Evie? She wasn't born in this kingdom. Why should whatever's in this book matter?"

Evie looked up at Ben at Mal's words, her brow furrowed.

He offered her a smile. "It matters because, when my father gave the decree to create the Isle of the Lost and imprison the foes of Auradon within it, he didn't enact any such decree depriving the island inhabitants of their peerage or royal titles, if they possessed any."

Eyes widening, Evie stared at him, her mouth open slightly in shock. "Why wouldn't he do that?"

His smile turning wry, Ben shrugged. "My father never really governed over anything larger than his estate. By the time he realized he could strip them of their status, I guess he figured it wouldn't do anything that hadn't already been done."

"Back up," Mal said as she rubbed her temple. "Explain what the hell this means."

"My mother still holds her title as queen, legitimately," Evie said. Her brow creased. "But then why did Audrey say..." Her words trailed as she held her head high, apparently not keen on repeating it.

"She said it because she knew it would hurt," Ben said, trying not to wince. "Well, that and it's the basic mentality within Auradon." Again, he tried not to wince when Mal narrowed her eyes at him.

"So if people don't believe Evie's royal, then what's the point of all this?" Mal asked, obviously getting frustrated with the topic of conversation.

"The point is," Ben began, wondering if he should continue, "Evie's royal blood does go back hundreds of years, and this is the proof."

"What," Evie said flatly, staring at the book.

Ben blinked. "You didn't know?"

"I-I thought my mother was queen through marriage," Evie explained, her cheeks darkening. "I tried to ask her once, about our lineage, but she went on another rant about being put on the island." She shrugged, swallowing. "All of the books in the castle had nothing on us..."

"Evie," Ben began, bewildered, wanting nothing more than to correct the misunderstanding that had befallen her, "your mother was queen by birth, and the only reason she married was due to the pressure the courts put on her to have a husband. She married a duke, a widower, with an infant daughter."

"Snow White," Evie said, swallowing. "So. _She_ was never royal?"

"No, she only gained the title of princess because your mother decided to adopt her," Ben confirmed. "And she only remains a princess now because she married Prince Ferdinand."

"She's not a queen consort or whatever, like your mom?" Mal asked, brow furrowed.

"Ferdinand is third in line to the throne, and as his eldest brother Alfonso already has four children, the likelihood of him becoming king is small."

"Makes sense," Mal murmured, more focused on Evie than Ben.

Evie leafed through the pages of the book, her expression deceptively serene as she took in whatever section of words she happened to see. "This is really nice, Ben," Evie said at length, glancing up at him through her long lashes, "but why bring it up at all?"

"Your mother's kingdom is yours by birthright," Ben said, sitting a little straighter when Mal raised her eyebrow. "If you wanted to claim that birthright, it's yours. You have my full support."

Evie's eyes widened before she caught herself. Taking a breath, she closed the book. "Why would I want to claim it?"

"Because no matter what you do or what anyone says, you are royal, and I can see you easily leading Auradon than some of my peers." Ben smiled, gently placing his hand on top of Evie's, giving her a light squeeze. "You are a queen in the making, Evie, and everyone should know that."

Her neutral mask cracking, Evie stared at Ben with watery eyes, and she took a steadying breath before she stood up.

Manners that were drilled into him from a young age taking over, Ben stood up as well, bracing himself for whatever Evie wanted, watching as she closed the small distance between them. He saw her move, but his brain didn't register her arms around him until it was too late. Slowly, he hugged her back, as tight and secure as she held him.

A glance showed him Mal was smiling, soft and small.

Squeezing him briefly, Evie broke their embrace, but she didn't pull away fully, her hands resting on his shoulders as she graced him with an affectionate smile. "Thank you, Ben," she said, soft and barely containing her emotion. "I wish I could kiss you," she said again, this time on a sigh, her hand moving to caress his cheek.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ben noticed that Mal's expression had not changed. Does that mean... Evie likes me as well, he thought, confused. Deciding not to think about that, he gave Evie a smile. "I wouldn't say no to a kiss on the cheek."

Laughing quietly, Evie leaned up, her hand moving from his cheek to the back of his head, pulling him down to meet her lips. "How are you real," she murmured, her thumb rubbing her kiss into his skin.

"How are any of us real," he said, smiling when Mal huffed.

"If you're going to get philosophical, please count me out," she said as she leaned back against her chair.

"I won't, don't worry," Ben said, smiling at her, not minding that Evie still had her hands on him, that she was still in his personal space.

Eyebrow raised, Mal smirked. "Gonna stand there gazing at him, E?"

Huffing, Evie glanced at Mal. "Can I sit on his lap for a little while?"

"He's not gonna get hard," Mal said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Wait, what, Ben thought, blinking at the girls.

Evie shook her head. "I don't want to sit in his lap for that reason," she said. At Mal's raised eyebrow, she huffed again. "Well, okay, not right now anyway."

Wait, _what_ , he thought again, studying the way Mal laughed. So I guess Evie does indeed like me as well, he thought, puzzled. The other three liked him, and yet Mal seemed perfectly okay with it; in fact, they all seemed perfectly okay with the fact that they all liked him.

Ben didn't know how to take that.

"When have I denied you something?" Mal asked Evie, an expression akin to besotted on her face.

"Once," Evie said, but she smiled, "during my birthday, remember?"

"That's because you wanted to repay us our gifts to you," Mal said, unfazed. "Name another."

This time, Evie pouted. "I can't."

"Precisely," Mal said with a triumphant smirk.

Her pout turning into a smile, Evie faced him again. "Can I sit on your lap for a little while?" she asked him, biting her bottom lip as she fidgeted slightly.

"I have no objections," he said, glancing at Mal, "and since it appears Mal doesn't either..."

Evie laughed in delight, and she moved so that he could sit, gracefully draping herself in his lap once he settled. She brushed his hair away from his face, expression soft as she looked at him.

"You know, I don't think I've thought this through," Ben said, a wry smile on his lips, his hands tentatively resting on Evie, supporting her and making sure she didn't fall. 

"Getting lost in her eyes?" Mal teased, smirking.

Chuckling, Ben shook his head. "I can't serve you properly if you're in my lap," he said, smiling for Evie. Of course, he could see how easy it would be to get lost in her eyes, such an assortment of browns and greens that it might as well be magic.

Snorting, Mal waved the issue away. "I think that's the furthest thing from her mind." She leaned back, smiling. "Besides, what could be sweeter than sitting in the king's lap?"

Ben could feel his cheeks warm as Evie giggled, sending a mock-glare Mal's way.

"Mal, don't tease him," Evie said, nose turned up prim and proper, which only made Mal snort. Evie smiled at Ben, apologetic. "Sorry, she gets feisty when I'm around."

Chuckling, Ben shook his head. "It's no trouble. I just want you both to enjoy yourselves."

"We will," Evie assured, and she turned to the cake stand. "So, good sir, what have you brought for us?"

"The edible selection from last night's kitchen adventure," Ben said, amused.

"I knew you were trying to poison us," Mal said, expression serious.

"Mal," Evie sighed out.

"You caught me," Ben said, equally serious.

"Oh, Ben, not you, too," Evie said with a laugh. "What am I going to do with you two."

Unable to keep his expression in check — seriously, how does Mal do it, he thought, impressed — Ben laughed. "You should try the petits fours; I've had plenty of practice making them, so I know they turn out decent." He pointed to the little squares as an afterthought, realizing that they probably didn't know what a petit four was.

"I don't know why you worry," Mal said as she reached for one, inspecting it. "Everything you've made so far has been delicious, if a bit weird." She took a small bite, thoughtful as she chewed.

"She probably means weird as in new," Evie assured as she reached for one as well, her excitement plain as she took a small bite, humming quietly.

Ben tried not to stare as he watched Evie. She was somehow more reserved than Mal when tasting new food, and she did a cute little nose wiggle when she really liked something — or when she fed Ben.

At first, the action made him a little uncomfortable, but Evie seemed to really enjoy pampering him, her expression softening each time Ben ate out of her hands. Though, he guessed he could see the appeal, as he felt happy and warm when he was able to provide them with little comforts.

Plus, the way Mal looked at Evie as she enjoyed herself, whether through tasting the treats Ben provided or offering them to Ben, made up for any sort of discomfort Ben might have felt. He had never seen Mal look so soft, not even with Jay — though, it came pretty close. With Evie, Mal appeared more human, more gentle, and yet more alive, like she would sing at any moment.

It was such a sight to see, and Ben could understand why Mal felt that way.

Because Evie made you want to sing, made you want bask in the sunlight that was her smile, made you want to dance in the music of her laugh, made you want to relax in the shade of her eyes.

He had no idea why she would even consider having a crush on him. 

"Are you disappointed?" Ben found himself asking Evie.

Evie's head tilted in confusion. "In what?"

"This date," Ben said, giving her a shy smile. "Mal had said you wished to go on one..."

Humming, Evie shook her head. "I'm not disappointed at all," she said, her finger tracing his jawline. "It's almost like I get you all to myself, with the added bonus of Mal being here."

Mal huffed, her grin nearly hidden as she took a sip from her cup.

"Why did you think I'd be disappointed?" Evie asked.

Ben shrugged, embarrassed. "I can't really take any of you to do a lot of things I want to share with you."

"Like what," Mal said, chin propped on her hand, curious.

"Show you the kingdoms," Ben said with a smile. "Visiting beaches, ice skating, horseback riding—"

"With real horses?" Evie asked, eyes shining and grin wide.

"With real horses," Ben confirmed, unable to help but smile at Evie's response.

"Why can't you do any of that?" Mal asked, eyebrow quirked.

"Most of it requires leaving the grounds of Auradon Prep, and a lot of it is more than a weekend trip," Ben explained. "I don't want to do anything to jeopardize your stay in Auradon."

"More stipulations surrounding your decree?" Evie guessed, tone sympathetic.

"No," Ben said. "More like worry and precaution on my part. I don't want to give anyone ammunition against you." He huffed, though, embarrassed. "Well, that and I'm erring on the side of caution since I'm not sure what any of you would be comfortable doing."

"What do you mean, comfortable?" Evie asked, blinking.

"Well..." Ben began, glancing at Mal, looking for a sign of her discomfort but finding none. "It's been brought to my attention that Mal doesn't know how to swim, and I figured that was the case for you as well?"

Evie nodded, expression thoughtful. "No, I've never tried, actually. You didn't really want to go into what was available of the sea..."

"Yes, so I didn't want to take you near water. I figure staying on land and taking things easy and slow were the best options." After Mal almost drowning, Ben promised himself to think before taking her — and the others —on other dates.

The only problem was that Ben himself was a boring person, so he didn't think the others would be impressed with him, no matter where they went.

"So that's why your goal seems to be to feed us," Evie guessed, her smile soft as she offered him a strawberry petit four.

Ben chuckled, taking a bite. "Well," he said when he swallowed, unable to process the serene look on Evie's face, "I figured it was better to warm you up to me before I ask you to step out of your comfort zones."

"I'm pretty warmed up," Evie said, soft yet definitive. "And I'm not the only one." She smiled, her hand caressing his cheek.

"Oh?" Ben said because, really, what else was there to say to that.

She leaned in, mischief in her eyes and a grin on her lips. "The way I hear it," she whispered, wrapping her arms around Ben's neck, "Jay's warmed up to you pretty well, considering what happened on your last date."

A blush tinting his cheeks, Ben swallowed. "So you heard about that." It didn't surprise him, not really, but there was still a small amount of embarrassment at the thought that they talked about him while he was away.

Chuckling, Evie nodded, a soft smile on her lips. "It's like a dream, really," she sighed out, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "He must have been so thrilled for you to ask him to dance; I know I would be."

A glance at Mal told Ben that she found nothing odd with the fact that Evie was in his personal space, or the fact that she admitted what she did, both for herself and for Jay. "If you want, we can dance here," he offered, trying to fight the mild embarrassment that settled over him at her confession, trying to ignore the warmth that also settled over him.

"No, thank you," Evie said pleasantly. "That's something you share with Jay." She leaned back, giving Ben space, her hands no longer in his hair, her arms barely around his neck.

"But, Evie," Ben began, curious with her change in behavior, "I genuinely wanted to dance with you at the ball, just as I genuinely wouldn't mind dancing with you now."

Evie tilted her head in thought. "But Jay asked you to do something you wouldn't with anyone else." She raised her eyebrow. "Did you lie?"

"I didn't lie," he said, almost offended. "I wouldn't have danced with another guy the way I want to with Jay." He felt a blush on his cheeks again as he noticed both Evie and Mal smile at his confession.

"Not even Carlos?" Evie asked, her smile turning secretive.

Chuckling, Ben shrugged. "Maybe. But I think we both know Carlos wouldn't really like that anyway." He hadn't failed to see Carlos shrinking away when Ben had approached them at the ball.

Evie laughed, soft and quiet. "I suppose you're right about that," she murmured, her finger tracing his jawline again. "So you wouldn't mind dancing with Jay, Mal, or me?"

"No, I wouldn't," he confirmed with a smile. "Is that okay?"

"More than," Evie answered with a smile of her own. "What else you wouldn't mind doing?"

Though the question was asked with that innocent tone of Evie's, Ben couldn't help but feel as if it were a loaded question, and he mainly blamed himself for thinking that way. Still, he thought for a moment, letting himself get a little lost in Evie's eyes. He smiled. "If you wouldn't mind getting up, I'll show you."

A radiant smile graced Evie's lips, and she stood, waiting on Ben's next move.

He offered his hand to Evie, smiling when she took it with a slight curtsy. "If you don't mind," Ben said to Mal as a courtesy, making sure everything was all right.

Mal only smiled. "By all means," she said with a small wave of her hand.

Smiling, Ben led Evie to the willow tree, to the rope swing that he'd only ever used in the presence of his mother, and he wanted to tell Evie of its significance, to tell her that he wanted to share every happy and warm feeling the swing had brought him, but he wasn't sure if that would offend her.

He didn't want Evie to feel like he was rubbing in the fact that he had spent his childhood in Auradon and she hers on the island.

Evie gingerly touched the rope, looking at the worn but sturdy wood of the seat with something akin to reverence, and she smiled at Ben.

"Please," he said as he stood behind the swing, gesturing for her to sit.

Hesitant in a way he'd never seen her, Evie nodded, and with her usual grace, she sat down, glancing up at him with a soft smile as she held onto both ropes.

Ben gave her a gentle push, smile softening at her excited hum, and he glanced at Mal, breath almost stalling at the soft, serene expression she wore. Smiling to himself, he continued to gently push Evie, delighting in her delight, and Ben found himself relaxing in the midday sunshine, enjoying himself immensely.

"Ben," Evie called softly after some time, glancing up at him. She smiled when he slowed her to a halt. "Sit with me?"

"Of course," he said, smiling as she scooted over to give him some room, and he sat down, their knees pointed to opposite directions but their bodies angled to the other.

"So, do you bring all the girls here?" she asked, tone teasing.

A brief chuckle escaped him. "Not at all," he said quietly. "I haven't even brought Audrey here."

The smile left Evie's lips, surprise settling on her face. "Why not?"

"It didn't seem right," he said, voice still quiet.

Evie stared at him, eyes gleaming as she searched his face. "First, you let Jay into your secret spot, and now you've brought us here to your secret garden." Her brow creased, disbelief blossoming across her face. "Why are you giving up the secret places in your heart for us?" She made a face, as brief as it was, that told Ben she had forgotten about the love spell, and the way she flexed her jaw, holding her head a little higher than necessary... it seemed like something akin to guilt on her features.

"Ask me something you think I would lie about," Ben said, unable to take his eyes off of Evie, wanting to ease her thoughts, whatever they might be.

Evie blinked. "Why?"

"Because I want you to know that I'm telling the truth when I answer your question."

"What was your most embarrassing moment?" Evie asked quietly.

"I threw up on Prince Milo's shoes because I couldn't handle Atlantean cuisine," Ben answered. "I was ten, it was the anniversary of Queen Kida's ascension to the throne, and the top elite of Auradon was in attendance."

Eyes widening, Evie brought her hand to her mouth — though, whether it was due to shock or amusement, Ben didn't know. "You did that in front of all those people?" she asked, horrified.

Ben nodded. "Milo was very nice about it, but still. When you're ten and in that sort of company, it felt like the end of the world, especially since Atlanteans remain a little choosy about outsiders."

"I have no doubt," Evie said quietly, and she stared at the ground for a few moments, her brow creased, undoubtedly trying to imagine being in Ben's shoes for that moment.

Ben didn't recommend it, of course.

Blinking, Evie focused her attention back on Ben, her brow still furrowed in confusion. "Why are you giving up the secret places in your heart for us?" she asked again, soft and quiet.

"Because I want to share with you all the things I love," Ben said, equally soft and quiet. "Because I feel like I can be myself with you all, that you won't judge me or expect me to be something I'm not." Despite the warmth that filled his cheeks, it felt freeing to admit that, and he smiled. "And sharing all the special places with you seems like the appropriate thanks, but more than that, I just want to share them with you."

Ben hadn't had such constant and relaxing company in far too long, and he had almost forgotten what it meant to breathe easily; despite all his efforts to the opposite, it seemed like Mal, Jay, and Evie were the ones comforting Ben — even Carlos had a hand in it, despite how he still paid more attention to the others and Dude than to Ben.

So why wouldn't Ben want to give something back in return? There wasn't much he could do for them, after all.

Though she remained silent, Evie's face, her eyes, spoke volumes; her jaw flexed as she swallowed, her eyes watery, almost gleaming, and she took hold of his hand, her touch soft and gentle as she brought it up to her cheek, almost nuzzling the back of his hand. "You really feel that way?" she asked quietly.

Ben nodded, his heart skipping a beat. "Yes," he added, perhaps unnecessarily, still stunned with such blatant affection. "As I told Mal, I try not to lie to you."

Evie let out a quiet huff, the corners of her mouth quirking upward. "That's to Mal," she said, unoffended, still holding Ben's hand to her cheek.

"To you too, Evie," Ben assured, smiling for her.

Chuckling, Evie pressed a too-brief kiss to the back of his hand before releasing it. "How are you real," she murmured, more to herself than to Ben. She smiled.

And Ben smiled back.

"Something's beeping over here," Mal called, pointing to the bag under the table. "Is it a bomb?"

Ben chuckled as he stood up, helping Evie to her feet as well before escorting her back to the table. "I'm afraid I'm not very good at making bombs," he said as he pushed Evie's chair in as she sat.

Mal raised her eyebrow, a smirk on her lips. "A bomb doesn't have to be well put together to be effective," she said.

"True," Ben conceded, sitting down himself, "but I don't even know how to make a poorly put together bomb, so you have nothing to worry about." He pulled out his phone, checking the missed call and voicemail left behind.

"Bad news?" Evie ventured.

Ben blinked. Whoops, guess my disappointment shows, he thought as he locked his phone, placing it on the table with a sigh. "An impromptu council meeting has been called. It starts in an hour."

"I do not envy you," Mal said as she took a bite of an éclair.

"Comes with the territory, I'm afraid," Ben sighed out; he forgot to give notice that he would be busy today. He turned to Evie. "I'm sorry, Evie, but it looks like we have to cut this date short."

Shaking her head, Evie smiled. "It's all right, Ben. I understand. Besides, this was more than wonderful."

"I'm glad," Ben said, relief flooding him. He glanced at Mal.

She shrugged, a smile to her lips. "What can you do? E had a good time, and so I did as well."

"I'm glad for that, too," Ben said with a smile. He wasn't sure how Mal would take this particular date, but it seemed like everything turned out fine.

"Then we'll be heading off," Mal said, hands on her chair handles as she was about to get up.

"Oh," Ben said, scolding himself for nearly forgetting, "before you go, I almost forgot." He reached down, pulling the bag under the table to him, and pulled out a box. He offered it to Evie, taking in her surprise. "This is yours regardless, but I thought you should have something should you decide to claim your birthright."

Swallowing as she took it, Evie set the box in front of her and opened it with trembling hands, and her eyes widened.

Ben held his breath, wondering if he overstepped.

Glancing at Mal briefly, in shock, Evie took a quick breath as she gingerly picked up the tiara, studying it, letting Mal see it's central tear drop sapphire and its surrounding ring, swinging freely. The tiara itself was platinum, glittering with diamonds, making the sapphire all the brighter. At its base sat a row in meander, and on top of that, a structure of columns, and still on top of that, laurel leaves.

"Ben," Evie breathed out, mouth staying open in her disbelief, her gaze locked on the tiara.

"Breathe," Mal murmured, and her eyes slowly traveled from the tiara in Evie's hands to Ben.

Snapping out of her daze, Evie looked at Ben, her eyes gleaming. "Ben, whose is this?"

"Yours," he answered quietly, heart sinking. Maybe he shouldn't have given her this gift.

Evie shook her head. "Where did you get this?" Her hands trembled as she asked the question.

"I commissioned it," Ben said, swallowing, "for you." Had he overstepped? He didn't know how else to explain her reaction.

"You didn't take it from somewhere," Mal said, surprised.

_That's_ what they're worried about, he thought, both amused and confused. "Of course not."

"I thought you were giving me your mother's or something," Evie said in a rush, her cheeks darkening in her embarrassment. "Or, I don't know, taken them from some reserves..."

"My mother only has three tiaras to call her own, and they're all gold, and I'm not allowed to take any crown jewels from other kingdoms without their express permission," Ben said, curious about their suspicion; did they think he'd steal because he was supposedly under a spell? "Besides," he continued, expression softening, "I didn't want you to borrow a tiara, I wanted you to have one of your own."

"So you commissioned this," Mal said, brow furrowing as she said the words, glancing at both Evie and the tiara still in her hands.

Ben smiled. "I did." He never used allowance money on anything except birthday and Christmas gifts anyway, so he had no issue using it on Evie. Besides, why have all that money if you couldn't make someone smile?

"When?" Mal asked, eyebrow raised.

"After our date with Jay," Ben said, quiet and embarrassed. He had acted rashly, perhaps, but the urge to give was overwhelming. He felt bad that he couldn't give Jay something, as he hadn't been properly prepared, but he knew he could be ready should Mal bring the others on their dates.

Guess I made the right decision, he thought, glancing at Evie.

"This took three days to make?" Mal asked, an impressed hum leaving her as she studied the tiara.

Chuckling, Ben nodded. "I called the best jeweler I know and told him to make it a priority, if he could." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Albert was just excited I called."

Mal regarded him, eyebrow quirked a fraction. "And this Albert designed this on a whim?"

"No," Ben said, cheeks growing warm. "He wanted me to describe its intended wearer. You know, to get a feel of how he should be designing it."

Evie looked at him, her gaze breaking away from the tiara, and her eyes were wide, were watery. "This is how you see me?" she asked softly, her eyes searching his face, and though she might have tried to hide it, Ben could see just how anxious she was for his answer.

But why, he thought, realizing that he was unable to take his eyes off of her. "No," he said gently, trying not to wince at the way she froze. "Evie, that tiara doesn't even compare to your warmth and radiance."

Stunned, Evie stared at him, her hands setting down the tiara in its box as if on autopilot, and tears trickled down her cheeks, one, two, three.

"Evie," Ben said as he stood in alarm, wanting nothing more than to comfort her; he never wanted to be the reason Evie cried — he never wanted to see her cry at all.

Without warning, Evie rose to her feet and seemingly fell on Ben, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly; she trembled as she held him, and though it was faint, she sniffled as well.

Awestruck, Ben supported her, his hold secure as he let her take all the time she needed, more than happy and willing to give her anything else she desired. 

Mal remained quiet as she watched them, an expression Ben had never seen on her face, and she gingerly closed the box, keeping the tiara safe.

"Leave it to you to test my makeup," Evie said as she rubbed under her eyes, her makeup still very much intact.

Ben smiled, his thumb brushing away a stray tear from her cheek. "It wouldn't have changed anything."

"It isn't fair," Evie said on a sigh, just shy of a whine. "I just want to kiss you more."

Glancing briefly at Mal, Ben leaned in, kissing Evie's forehead before pulling her into another hug. "You deserve the best, Evie," he murmured, wanting to give her everything she needed but knowing he never could; she deserved the best, and that wasn't him.

He felt her take a deep breath, felt her release it slowly, and he let her pull away, watching for any signs of discomfort, but all he found was a soft smile.

"Thank you, Ben," she said, her lip trembling as her smile widened. "This really has been unforgettable."

"The pleasure was mine, Evie," he said softly. "Always."

The smile he received was worth ten tiaras.

Evie returned to her chair, staring at the box like she still couldn't quite believe it, not even noticing that Mal's eyes had never left her nor the soft expression Mal wore.

It made Ben smile. "Here, let me pack you some treats to take to Jay and Carlos."

"Always so thoughtful," Mal said as she watched him pack what was left of the desserts with interest, as if she hadn't known it was coming.

"Always so charming," Evie added, her expression almost besotted, cradling the box close to her stomach.

Mal smiled at Evie's words, and she moved beside her, her hand settling on Evie's shoulder. "Go on ahead," she murmured, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "I know you want to put it somewhere safe."

"Thanks, M," Evie said, kissing Mal's cheek, the softest expression Ben had ever seen on her face. She moved toward him, her smile turning shy. "And thank you again, Ben."

"You're welcome, Your Royal Highness," Ben said, reaching for her hand. "Have a pleasant evening," he added as he kissed the back of her hand, smiling up at her.

Cheeks darkening, Evie nodded, that shy smile still on her lips. "Until we meet again," she said, and with a last glance at Mal, she exited the garden.

Ben stared after her, heart light in his delight; he was able to give Evie a date she had always wanted, and he had enjoyed watching her enjoy herself. Maybe he could give her more dates...

Mal took hold of his hand, surprising him, and she merely held it for a moment as she gazed at it thoughtfully, her other hand holding the bag of treats.

"Mal...?" Ben prompted, curious as he watched as she turned his hand this way and that.

Something like a smile appeared on her lips, and Mal bent down, bringing his palm to her lips for a brief kiss. "I'm looking forward to our next date," she said, voice near a whisper, and she smiled as she too left the garden.

Ben stood there, bewildered and heart racing, and he looked around the garden, unable to stop his smile from growing.

—

Ben smiled at his fellow students as they passed him on their way in and out of the dormitory. He held the folder in one hand carefully, wondering how Carlos would react to its content, along with the contents of the small bag he held in his other hand.

Because he knew this date would be with Carlos as well, as he didn't figure Mal would break the pattern she herself set up.

Still, he was a little nervous to find out if he were correct or not. Carlos was, after all, the one who unnerved him the most, and Ben felt bad for thinking of him like that.

But there was just something about Carlos' eyes...

The doors to the dormitory's main entrance opened, and Mal stepped out, followed by a sour looking Carlos, Dude waddling after him.

Ben smiled at the sight. Perfect, he thought as he met them half way.

"Carlos is staying," Mal said by way of greeting, the smirk to her lips telling Ben she already knew he knew.

It only made Ben grin. "I figured," he said as he inclined his head to Carlos. "Which is why I brought these." He offered Carlos the bag.

Eyebrow raised, Carlos accepted — though, he seemed wary to actually inspect its contents.

"They're for Dude," Ben explained, figuring being up front with Carlos was the best option. "There's a pastry festival in town for a few days, and pets are required to be on a leash if you to want bring them along." He watched as Carlos took out the collar and leash, smiling as Carlos apparently deemed them acceptable enough.

"A pastry festival, hm?" Mal said with a sly smile. "You sure know your audience."

"Ha ha," Carlos said in deadpan as he knelt down to ready Dude, gingerly fastening the collar around Dude's neck and hesitantly clasping the leash on the collar. "Ready?" he asked the dog.

Dude let out a little huff, tail wagging in excitement.

Ben smiled. "Shall we?" he asked, knowing better than to offer his arm to either of them. In fact, he found it a little funny how alike they were.

Mal took the first steps toward the town, and Carlos followed her lead, glancing at Dude every now and then.

"So you've been spending more time with him?" Ben asked Carlos, smiling at the way Dude's tail kept a cheerful wag.

Snorting, Mal answered for him. "That little beast has been in my room," she said, a sideways glance at Carlos, a smirk forming on her lips at the way Carlos' cheeks began to darken.

"I'll admit he's becoming a regular in our rooms," Carlos mumbled, staring at the ground as they walked.

"If he could take the creature into the classrooms, I bet Carlos wouldn't hesitate," Mal said, her hand on top of Carlos' head, ruffling his hair. "Never thought I'd see the day," she added with a grin.

Taking in the way Carlos pouted, Ben couldn't help but chuckle. "So you like Dude?" he asked, just to be sure he made the right decision as he glanced at the folder in his hand.

"Well enough," Carlos said, cheeks still tinted pink.

"Would he make classes easier?" Ben asked, curious. He'd known about Carlos' genius when he first sent the paperwork to transfer them from the island, and he knew that they wouldn't want to put him in advanced classes.

Ben figured there was prejudice in that decision, stemming from the fact that Carlos was a villain's son as well as the belief that nothing on the island could be considered good, so Ben had worked in the proper stipulation for Carlos so that, should he choose to stay, he'd be able to take classes at his true level.

Carlos tilted his head at the question, blinking. "I don't know." He looked down at Dude. "Maybe he would."

I hope he will, he thought as he offered the folder to Carlos. "Then this is yours, if you want it."

Brow furrowed, Carlos took the folder, glancing at Mal when she moved closer to inspect its contents as well. "What is it?" he asked even as he opened the folder.

"An offer to register Dude as your service dog," Ben answered, keeping his expression open when both Mal and Carlos looked at him. "It's only if you want to, Carlos."

Carlos didn't respond to that, instead reading the papers as they walked, apparently content to let Mal and Dude guide him along the path.

They walked in silence until they heard the laughter of the festival and smelled the aromas from the different pastries.

Ben would have been worried about the silence if not for his casual glances at Mal, who looked neither annoyed or upset, and he figured if anyone knew Carlos and what he could be thinking, it was Mal. So Ben let the silence continue, content to let Carlos set the pace.

But that didn't mean he couldn't treat them to anything.

"Which booth would you like to try first?" he asked them, eager to see their faces as they tried each dessert.

(He told himself not to think about the food on the island. If what were on the island could be called food.)

"Why would I need a service dog?" Carlos asked instead of answering Ben. He made a face. "What does a service dog even mean?"

Mal let a small huff, but the way she glanced at Carlos told Ben she wasn't surprised that he chose now to speak up about Ben's gift.

"They can calm you. I don't want to use the word distract, but sometimes they do that, too. They assist you if things get too... much," he settled on saying, wondering if he should bring up the island in this case.

"So a beneficial distraction," Mal guessed, eyebrow raised. "As in, distracting from whatever's overwhelming the brain?"

"Yes," Ben said with a nod. "I talked it over with Dr. Sweet, and he wholeheartedly approves. And Dr. Radcliffe has already cleared Dude for certification."

Carlos scrunched up his nose. "Why so many doctors?"

"Dr. Sweet is an actual physician and is in charge of overseeing the health of Auradon Prep's student body, but Dr. Radcliffe is called doctor because she's obtained her doctorate. Well, actually, she's obtained several."

"And these people just... decide to grant Carlos a service dog?" Mal asked, her gaze turning critical.

"Dr. Radcliffe has always advocated for the mental well-being of Auradon's youth," Ben said, wondering if it were too early to tell them that Anita knew full well what Cruella was capable of, silently asking for forgiveness for yet again lying by omission, "and Dr. Sweet, well, he lives up to his name. Besides, it was agreed that it would be beneficial to the both of you."

"Both?" Carlos asked, eyebrow raised.

"You and Dude," Ben clarified. "You get the distraction when your brain refuses to stop, and he'll get consistent attention."

Brow creasing, Carlos stared at the papers, nothing on his features giving away his thoughts.

"You don't have to do anything with that, Carlos," Ben said softly, nerves buzzing when Carlos looked at him with that assessing stare. "I just thought you'd like the option."

"Why," Carlos said, gaze turning critical, "why bother giving this to me at all?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw Mal watching him with interest; she clearly intended for him to finish what he started, as she had told Jay on their date. Taking a small breath, Ben answered. "Because I support anything that might make you happy, anything that gives you comfort." His nerves buzzed again, threatening to scatter, when Carlos' stare remained the same. "That's all I want for you, for you and the others."

"Happy and comfortable," Carlos said.

"Yes."

A slight crease appeared in his brow. "Is this a guilt thing?"

Always a heavy hitter, Ben thought as he shook his head. "Not this," he answered, not bothered by the fact that it only made Carlos narrow his eyes. "The idea to invite the children of the Isle of the Lost to Auradon was spawned from guilt, I won't deny that," he continued, remembering how his smiles would fade whenever he looked out his window, "but my gifts to you aren't based in guilt."

"So what are they based in?" Carlos asked, his gaze no longer as harsh, curiosity now in his features.

"Do you ever do anything for Jay or the others?" Ben asked instead of answering, wondering if this approach were a good idea.

Blinking, Carlos nodded. "All the time."

"Why?"

Carlos blinked again, his brow creasing. "They ask me to."

Chuckling, Ben nodded. "Okay, but do you ever do anything for them that they didn't ask you to do?"

The crease in his brow deepening, Carlos shrugged. "Maybe?"

"So why do you do that?"

"Approval," Carlos said, matter-of-fact, like Ben had asked something stupid. "To make them feel good."

Ben couldn't find fault in Carlos' answers; despite how much he might not like people, Carlos himself was very much human. "Then we're not so different," he said.

His answer only made Carlos frown. "Why should you be concerned with either of those? You don't really know us."

Unable to stop himself, Ben laughed. "That's kind of the point, Carlos. I want to get to know you."

"So your gifts are bribes," Carlos said, tone nearly definitive.

Oh, man, he really is a heavy hitter, Ben thought; he knew from the moment he meet Carlos that he would be the most difficult to befriend, should Ben ever get the chance. "I don't expect anything in return," he said, wondering if Carlos would believe him.

Ben supposed he couldn't blame Carlos if he didn't.

"It's human nature to want something in return," Carlos said, frowning. "So you're confirming you're not human?"

"Confirming?" Ben repeated with a laugh. "Carlos, when I made that proclamation, I wasn't under the delusion that you all would like me for it. In fact, I expected your dislike, your hate even, and I accept that. So much has been forced on you by forces beyond your control, why would I want to add to that?" He offered Carlos a smile. "All I want is to do little things that could make you happy or comfortable or both. You know, just to give you a break from everything else. That's why I do what I do."

Carlos' frown disappeared, and he considered Ben. Casting a brief glance at Mal, Carlos spoke, addressing Ben. "And you're gonna feed us pastries today?" he guessed, posing it like an important hypothesis.

Ben chuckled. "Only if you want to eat something." He gestured to Dude. "Either way, I thought it would be a good moment to walk Dude and see the town, considering I don't know how often you come this way."

"Never been," Carlos said with a shrug, actually taking in the sights. "I think Evie and Jay came here once, for the materials for the Halloween Ball." He looked at Mal, blinking.

Mal shrugged. "Never been either." She glanced at Ben, a smirk threatening to form on her lips. "Perhaps I was erring on the side of caution," she added.

Carlos snorted, confirming that they did indeed talk about Ben when he was away.

Ben, oddly, felt both flattered and anxious.

Dude huffed, taking a few steps toward a booth, his tail wagging.

Snapping out of his musings, Ben gave them a smile. "Shall we explore?" He gestured to the booth Dude took an interest in, to the many booths around town.

Carlos glanced at Mal before shrugging, blinking at Ben, clearly letting Ben lead. 

Ben felt his heart flutter at the notion, moved despite the way Carlos remained cool and collected, and he took a small breath, ready to lead them on a tour of both the festivities and the town itself.

He could feel Mal's eyes on him as he led Carlos around, as he pointed out the town library or the mechanic shop as they moved from booth to booth, buying samples of their treats for them to taste, but her gaze was never critical or burning. Ben figured she was merely curious.

Ben still wasn't sure about Mal's intentions on their dates, wasn't sure why she brought the others along, especially since it seemed like the others liked him in some way — though, he still couldn't believe Carlos fell into that category, given that he was only ever indifferent toward Ben, but then again, who was Ben to decipher the emotions and feelings of others?

How could he manage that feat when he could barely decipher his own?

"Why do I have to be here again?" Carlos asked, abrupt and, judging by his body language, directed at Mal only. "The food is nice, but I hate dating." A hint of a whine laced his tone even as he bit into his apple turnover.

Mal snorted, flicking his forehead. "And you think I like it?" She, currently, had no pastry in her hands.

Ben tried not to wince, but it seemed like they were fully invested in their conversation to really notice, and he elected to continue walking silently by their side.

"Well, maybe not," Carlos conceded, something like a pout on his lips, "but you've at least been on dates."

"How do you figure that?" Mal asked, nose scrunched up.

"You've been on four since we've been in Auradon," Carlos said, unimpressed.

Mal huffed. "And whose fault do you think that is? You know how those two idiots are."

"Don't call Evie an idiot," Carlos said absently as he finished his apple turnover.

"I can call her whatever I want, my little awkward genius," Mal said with a smirk, wiping some crumbs off of Carlos' mouth. "It's other people who better watch their mouth."

This time, Carlos snorted. "I still don't see why I have to be here." He glanced down at Dude, tossing him a piece of dog-friendly bites one of the older ladies had handed Carlos, free of charge.

"You're here because I said so," she said as she watched Dude happily chewing his treats. "And because I refuse to be the only one subjected to this dating thing."

Carlos stopped walking, cocking his head to the side slightly as he openly stared at Mal, which only made her frown.

Ben watched curiously, partly amused that they'd forgotten he was present, partly ashamed for not reminding them he was there, watching and listening.

A hum escaped Carlos, and he blinked in surprise. "You're doing this on purpose," he said slowly, like he couldn't believe something. "It's more than feeding and protecting us. You've always done that."

"You're overthinking again," Mal said, trying for flippant, but her expression didn't quite match her tone.

Carlos' eyes widened. "You're trying to distract yourself!" He stared at Mal when she said nothing. "Holy fuck, Mal."

Something was clearly happening that he should not be witnessing, so Ben coughed a little, keeping his expression open and warm even as they both jumped, looking sharply at him. "You shouldn't curse like that, Carlos. The teachers will give you detention if they hear you," he said, hoping they'd roll their eyes at him, hoping his small chide would lessen the tension.

If Mal's snort were anything to go by, Ben would say he achieved his goal.

"I think trying to stop this one from cursing is a lost cause," Mal said, still a little tense but definitely amused.

Carlos huffed, a pout to his lips. "As if any of you are any better," he mumbled.

Mal turned to Ben, her movement abrupt but not menacing. "Do you curse, Ben?"

Ben blinked. "In my head," he answered, slightly embarrassed. He was still afraid his mom would somehow find out and be so disappointed in him.

Even if all the curse words he learned were from her own mouth.

Mal and Carlos huffed in amusement. "How do you function here," Carlos murmured.

"Do you want me to answer that?" Ben asked, smiling at them.

"No," Carlos said definitively.

"Okay," he said pleasantly. "It's probably a boring answer anyway."

"Then by all means," Mal said, lazily waving a hand.

"Try not to collapse under the weight of pressure by distracting yourself with small task after small task," Ben said as easily as he could, but when Mal and Carlos stared at him, a frown pulled at both of their mouths, he shrugged. "It's a dumb thing, I guess."

He didn't know what caused him to admit that; he was beginning to lose his filter when it came to them, and he wasn't sure if that were a good thing or not.

"Feeling pressure isn't dumb," Carlos said after a while, voice quiet. "And finding ways not to collapse under it isn't dumb, either."

"Maybe," Ben said, "but I'm sure you don't want to hear me whining about my so-called problems."

"Why not," Carlos said, head tilted as his eyebrow quirked.

"It's boring and trivial," Ben answered.

Carlos blinked. "Do you lose sleep because of them?"

Taken aback, Ben swallowed. "Well, maybe, but—"

"Then I wouldn't call it trivial," Carlos interrupted. He regarded Ben, not as critical as his usual gaze, but still assessing. "Everyone has different methods of coping with their problems."

Surprised, Ben nodded. "I know."

Carlos shrugged. "Focusing on small tasks seems appropriate and balanced. I mean, it isn't like you're sneaking out to street fight every night."

Ben blinked. "I hope that isn't what you do."

Snorting, Mal shook her head. "You won't find this one in a fight unless circumstance absolutely called for it," she said as he ruffled his hair. "He's talking about Harley Sinclair."

"You did not want to catch her off guard," Carlos said, frowning. "I'm pretty sure she'd be top contender if it wasn't for Jay."

"Which means she's top contender now," Mal pointed out.

Carlos' gaze cut to Ben. "Does that bother you?"

"It bothers me that they had to fight at all," Ben began, uneasy with Carlos' stare, "but I cannot judge them for situations outside of their control."

They didn't say anything for a few moments, Mal glancing at Carlos as Carlos stared at Ben.

"I think Harley would've punched you the first time she met you," he said after a few moments.

"Well..." Ben said, but words didn't come to him; he hadn't been prepared for Carlos to say something like that. He cleared his throat, somewhat amused. "I guess that would have been her right."

Carlos rolled his eyes. "You're weird."

Mal laughed, covering it with a cough.

"I think Evie's the only one who hasn't called me weird," Ben said, amused as well. "At least, not to my face."

Mal laughed again, quieter this time. "That makes sense, considering we all thought she was weird at first."

Chuckling, Ben shrugged, smiling. "Maybe it's just how you view royalty?"

"More than maybe," Carlos mumbled, bending to pat Dude after the dog huffed a little.

Hitting Carlos' shoulder lightly, Mal glanced at Ben, a smirk to her lips. "Think it's time for the next booth, hm?"

"Of course," Ben said with a smile.

He led them to the odd booth out in the festival, selling different kinds of taffy rather than anything pastry. The vendor, a small old man with a warm grin, let Mal and Carlos sample some of his flavors, and Ben bought them a bag of their favorite.

Mal lingered by the old man, chatting about something or other Ben didn't quite catch as he and Carlos stood to the side, Carlos eating a bit of taffy as he fed Dude some of his treats. They were relatively alone, most of the people attending the festival either at other booths or leaving for the day.

"So," Ben began, glancing at Carlos, figuring he could ask now, "we're okay?" He'd be lying if he said he weren't nervous for the answer; he might be unsure where he stood with the others, but he was definitely lost when it came to Carlos.

Carlos looked at him, nose a little scrunched as he blinked. "We were never not okay," he said slowly.

Relief washed over Ben, and he smiled. "I'm glad." He bit the inside of his lip, wondering if he should voice his next question. Taking a breath, Ben asked anyway. "And have I been failing your expectations?"

Because that was the real question, wasn't it: how was Ben measuring up to Carlos' assessment? Ever since their first meeting, when Carlos faced him with a blank expression but fierce eyes, when Carlos made Ben make the first move to shake hands, Ben knew Carlos' trust wouldn't be so easily given, that it would be harder to earn than Evie's or Jay's, even Mal's.

This time, Carlos looked at him with that neutral expression he wore so well, considering Ben with a gleam in his eyes. "You have," he said, just as slow and quiet as his previous answer, and there was an obvious pause as his left eyebrow twitched. "So much so that I might be changing them," he added, even quieter than before.

Ben could only stare. Does that mean what I think it means... he thought, watching as Carlos turned away from him, patting his thigh for Dude to follow him to wherever he was heading.

Mal whistled, startling Ben, and when he turned to her, she wore a half-smile, approval in her features. "Aren't you something," she murmured as she moved to his side.

Then he hadn't been imagining it, and that fact made Ben's heart swell, a kind of giddiness fluttering in his stomach.

He startled when he felt Mal's hand on his wrist, and he looked at her in surprise, taking in the way she gazed up at him with a curious expression on her face.

A small smile formed on Mal's lips, and she pulled him toward her, pulled him so close, her arms wrapping around him in a light hug.

Surprised but heart fluttering in delight, Ben returned the hug, keeping his embrace light, stunned that she lingered in his arms.

"I know this one isn't over yet," she said softly as she pulled away, looking up at him with a smile, "but I look forward to our next date." And to stun him further, she loosely linked her arm with his as she walked in the direction Carlos had taken.

As he was led, Ben couldn't stop his smile from spreading even if the world demanded it of him.

—

As he shook his head for the umpteenth time, Ben wondered if he'd ever been in a tenser car ride. "I'm telling you, it's fine," he said, hoping that, this time, his words would be believed.

Much as they did when he initially brought up the idea, Jay and Mal didn't seemed too convinced, sitting close together on the long side of the limo's seating.

Not that he could blame them.

When he asked them to spend the weekend at Auradon Castle, he truthfully didn't think they'd accept. However, it had only taken a few moments for Mal, after sending a silent glance to Jay, to accept Ben's offer.

"And your father," Mal said, her hand holding Jay's, "you sure he won't be there?"

Suppressing a shiver, Ben nodded. "I promise. He and my mom are scheduled to attend a ball in Arendelle this weekend. They won't be home till Monday afternoon." At least, that's the plan, he thought, quietly hoping that nothing changed in their schedule.

He didn't know if he were ready for them to meet his father.

He definitely wouldn't have suggested it if he knew his father would be there.

"And why didn't you go?" Mal asked, eyebrow raised, tone laced with an accusation.

"Queen Elsa is particular," Ben said with a shrug. "My parents have had years of practice dealing with her ways, so I've sent them as emissaries." Just another instance of me being a coward, he thought, smiling through it. "Besides, I wanted to spend my time with you."

"Why just us?" Jay asked, quiet and unsure.

Jay's question confused him. Didn't they know? "Well, I had asked Evie and Carlos," Ben admitted.

Both Mal and Jay sat up, leaning toward Ben. "What," they both said.

Ben blinked. "I asked them if they wanted to accompany us," he said again.

"And Evie said _no_?" Jay asked, sharing an incredulous glance with Mal.

"She's the only one who surprises you?" Ben couldn't help but ask.

Mal waved her hand, dismissive and impatient. "Carlos is fine by himself with that stupid laptop and dumb dog, but _Evie_..." Her words trailed, brow creased as she obviously debated on her next sentence.

"She did tell me she would take care of Carlos," Ben said, hoping it would assuage their worry. Though, he wondered if he should tell them that Evie and Carlos had also shared a silent glance before Evie declined his offer.

Maybe they would know how to interpret that action better than Ben did.

Jay leaned back into the seat's cushion, fiddling with his hands. "Doesn't make sense," he murmured.

Mal hummed, studying Ben as she too leaned back.

"If it's too much trouble, we can go back," Ben offered, trying not to frown at their actions. While he was used to Mal's scrutiny, Jay being that withdrawn didn't sit right with him.

With a hand resting on Jay's knee, Mal spoke. "If your old man won't be at the castle, then we might as well have a peek."

"No promises on keeping my pockets empty," Jay mumbled.

Ben chuckled. "I doubt you'd want anything in the castle."

Jay merely shrugged, a trace of a grin on his lips, growing stronger when Mal rolled her eyes.

Seeing the tension leave their shoulders, Ben smiled, and he relaxed.

—

"Your Majesty," Cogsworth greeted the moment the limousine pulled in front of the castle, barely giving Ben the time to open the door himself. "We were not expecting you to be accompanied," he continued as he watched Mal and Jay step out of the limo, a bag under Mal's arm.

Ben refrained from sighing. Their driver must have messaged him; so much for a smooth arrival, he thought, smiling for his father's majordomo in an effort to try to ease Cogsworth's fretting.

"It's fine, Cogsworth," Ben assured, knowing his explanation wouldn't be accepted so easily, "I've taken care of everything already."

He hadn't wanted Cogsworth's hand in anything this weekend, which meant that he kept everything a secret.

"Ah, but as majordomo," Cogsworth began, already posturing.

"Really, it's fine," Ben interrupted, holding back a wince at Mal and Jay's reaction. "These are my friends. They don't care about the extravagance. Could probably do without it, in fact."

"That's the truth," Mal muttered, arm still linked with Jay's.

"See?" Smiling, Ben inclined his head. "I've got everything under control, but I'll be sure to let you know if I need anything."

Cogsworth still looked perturbed, but really, that was mostly his face nowadays, and he bowed to them all as he took his leave.

Relief washing over him, Ben turned to Jay and Mal, offering them a smile in the hopes of their uneasiness ebbing away now that they were alone. "Shall we go?" he asked, offering his arm to Jay.

Swallowing, Jay nodded as he hesitantly took Ben's arm. "This is too weird," he said as they entered the castle.

"I guess you get used to it," Ben said, knowing it wouldn't help much. "Would you like a tour? Or would you rather just get to our destination?"

Whistling as she took in the high arches of the foyer, Mal shrugged. "You can point things out on the way, if you want, but I'm pretty sure we'd rather just get to wherever you're taking us." She glanced at Jay, who gave a quick nod, his hands twitching.

"Okay, no problem," Ben said, figuring that that would be the best option, considering that Cogsworth probably ran off to vent to Mrs. Potts or Lumière, and Ben definitely didn't want to be caught by either; he knew they meant well, but they'd probably be too much for Mal and Jay to handle right now. 

He pointed out what he thought they would think was interesting, even though he knew they probably couldn't care less about the castle that hosted the man who imprisoned them on the island. Still, he tried to ease the tension in their shoulders as he mentioned the ridiculous paintings of what was considered important events, as he pointed out that the suits of armor had never seen combat, as he told them that the reason this castle served as the high king's home was due to the fact that it was one of the smaller ones in the land, a symbol that the high king should be humble and gracious in his day to day life.

Ben could tell that they, just like he, didn't believe his words.

They made it to their destination without incident, though, and Ben was glad for that as he let them enter the room first, inclining his head to the footmen standing at duty.

"You can take the weekend off," he told them, placing a hand on their shoulders, dispelling the concerned expressions on their faces. "Trust me, it's fine." He watched them hesitate, but after giving him a bow, they left.

Relieved — he knew Mal and Jay would never relax with his footmen standing just outside the door — Ben joined Mal and Jay, closing the doors behind him.

"So," Mal began as she walked further into the room, "where are we now?" She looked around, eyebrow quirking in a way that told Ben she had already guessed their location.

"My room," Ben said, watching Jay inspect the area as well. He felt nervous, tried to quell the butterflies in his stomach, and he swallowed.

The only peer to visit his room had been Audrey, and that was only because they had snuck away from their chaperones when they were younger because Audrey wanted to give him his birthday gift in private.

(Ben still kept the teddy bear safe, kept it tucked away in a hidden spot, after his father had told him that wasn't an appropriate gift for a king-to-be, despite the fact that it would be three years before Ben went up against the council summit.

Whenever he had felt overwhelmed, Ben would retrieve the bear from its hiding spot and hug it close, curled under his bed, shielded from the rest of the world for a few precious moments.)

"The island," Jay said, his quiet and soft voice bringing Ben from his musings, expression neutral as he looked out the window. He took a step toward it but abruptly paused.

"Yeah," Ben said, standing next to Jay, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "I told you I could see it from my room."

He wondered if they thought he were lying that day, not that it really mattered, but as he took in the faraway look to Jay's face, the thought wouldn't leave his mind.

"This room is bigger than the dorms," Mal said, tossing the bag on one of the chairs before running her finger along the fireplace. "Not even a speck of dust." She glanced around, brow creased as she took in his furnishings.

"It's maintained while I'm away," Ben said, watching them move about his room, oddly comfortable with it.

"And you're okay with people randomly entering your room when you're gone?" Jay asked, incredulous.

Ben smiled, shrugging. "I'm afraid I'm boring, so I have nothing to hide."

(There was always a fear of the maids finding the location of the teddy bear, but Ben knew they weren't that thorough in their cleaning.)

"You invited two islanders into your room for the weekend," Mal said as she inspected the photographs on his desk. "I'd say you're not as boring as you think."

Ben couldn't help but smile at her words, his stomach fluttering.

Mal snorted, picking up the photo of him as a child, lavish outfit covered in mud due to chasing the frog he held proudly in his hands through the gardens, and she showed it to Jay when he stood beside her. Jay's grin was wide and bright, lighting up his whole face, and they both huffed in amusement.

Seeing them like that only made Ben's heart swell with affection.

"I'm not as truthful either," Ben said gently, watching as Mal placed the picture down.

"I find that hard to believe," Jay said when he turned to him, grin still in place.

"Ditto," Mal said, but her expression was curious.

Smiling as he walked to the chest at the foot of his bed. "There's a reason I asked you to spend the weekend with me." There are several reasons, in fact, he thought, wondering if he should confess to each one then and there as he dug through his chest.

"This where you kill us?" Mal asked, teasing in her tone, her smirk on the playful side.

Ben laughed, finding the flat box he'd been looking for and holding it close. "Nope. Wouldn't want to mess my room up further."

Jay snorted, and both he and Mal looked at the box, curious.

Here goes nothing, Ben thought, taking in a small breath to steady his nerves as he faced them fully. "I have something for you, Jay," he said, holding the box up.

All traces of amusement left Jay's face. "Me? Why?"

"Because I want to give you something," Ben said, wondering if, this time, he truly did overstep.

Jay stared at him, uncomprehending. "But... why?"

"Because I like you, Jay, and I care about you." Ben offered him the box, a flutter of nerves in his stomach as Jay merely stared.

Jay only moved when Mal gave him a gentle nudge, and he took the box with shaking hands. But he didn't open it, instead staring at it as if it would bite him.

Heart pounding, Ben opened the box for him, his eyes on Jay's face as he took in the platinum necklace and its sapphires and diamonds.

"Why," Jay whispered, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Because you looked stunning at the Halloween Ball," Ben said, taking the necklace out of the box. "Because you looked so at ease. Because you looked like you enjoyed yourself." He held it up, offering it. "But I understand if you don't want to trade the one you currently wear for this."

Swallowing, Jay's hand immediately came up to his chest, resting over the chain Ben knew lay underneath his clothes.

Ben didn't know what Jay's current necklace meant to him; it might have a sentimental value that sapphires and diamonds couldn't replace.

"How did you know about that?" Mal asked, curious and guarded all at once.

"Jewelry isn't allowed in tourney. Jay has to take off both his necklace and his earring before stepping on the field." Ben watched as Jay's other hand came up to his ear, watched his adam's apple bob. "I've seen him do it a couple of times."

Ben wondered, as he did when he first commissioned the necklace, how Jay would take the invasion of his privacy, how he would take the knowledge that Ben had been watching him a little more closely than was necessary.

"And so you just decide to give him a necklace?" Mal asked, tone much too casual for the gleam in her eyes. "All because you liked the way he looked at a ball?"

"Please know I'd never reduce Jay to just looks," Ben said, adamant and, if he were honest, a little offended. He glanced at Jay, holding his gaze. "He's more than that."

Jay closed his eyes, shivering a fraction as he took a breath. "How do you know what I am," he whispered as he opened his eyes.

"I can see, Jay," Ben said softly, "and what I see puts this necklace to shame."

(Ben would never admire someone more like he admired Jay, admired his strength, both inner and outer, admired his smile, admired how protective and caring he was toward Mal and the others.

He admired Jay so much because Ben knew he could never be like him.)

Jay's mouth opened slightly, his eyes gleaming, his expression open and raw.

"You don't have to accept this, Jay," Ben said, giving him a smile. "I just wanted to get you something."

Blinking, Jay shook his head, swallowing. "I, I'll accept it," he said, clearing his throat. "I just don't see why you would..." His voice trailed, and he swallowed again, eyes downcast.

Ben couldn't stop the frown from forming on his lips, but as he took a step toward Jay, Ben made sure his expression, his bearing, was open. He gently lifted Jay's chin. "I just want to, Jay. I just wanted to make you smile."

Jay stared at him, eyes searching his face. But then he blinked, expression surprised as he moved from Ben's hold, swallowing as he glanced at Mal.

Oh, oops, Ben thought as he too glanced at Mal, wondering how she felt about their little display, about the necklace.

Mal didn't say anything as she merely looked at them, her gaze shifting from their faces to the necklace in Ben's hand. She moved toward Jay, expression soft. Gently, she brushed his hair off of his shoulders. "It's okay," she murmured, her hand caressing Jay's cheek.

Jay said nothing, but he nodded, releasing a small breath.

With her gaze on Ben, Mal undid Jay's jacket, gently pulling it off of him, letting it fall to the floor, leaving him in just a tank top. Then, she reached behind Jay, her hands moving slow and easy as she held Jay's gaze. After a moment, an almost inaudible click was heard, and Mal held Jay's chain in her hands, gingerly letting it ball in her left hand. With her free hand, she pulled Jay's hair to one side, letting his locks rest on his right shoulder.

Stepping away, Mal gestured for Ben to move toward Jay.

Taking a breath, Ben did as told, bringing the necklace above Jay's head, and his heart raced as he heard Jay inhale sharply. Ben took care to clasp the necklace in place, and he gingerly pulled Jay's hair from underneath the chain, letting it rest just right on Jay's skin.

A soft smile on her face, Mal took hold of Jay's left hand, and at her pointed glance, Ben took hold of his right, and he followed her lead, guiding Jay to the wide floor length mirror in his room. Ben watched Jay's reflection as he swallowed and looked over himself, and Ben saw Jay's gaze settle on the necklace, on the way it fit perfectly.

"It suits you," Ben said softly, wondering if he should.

Jay shivered, closing his eyes and taking a breath. When he opened them, he was calmer, more relaxed, despite the small crease to his brow.

"Beautiful," Mal murmured, and she released his hand, stepping away from them and the mirror.

For a moment, Ben found himself admiring the two of them like this, standing side by side with hands linked, Jay wearing a gift of his.

"May I have this dance?" Ben asked gently. The necklace had been a gift for Jay, true, but there was a small, selfish part in Ben that wanted a gift in return.

Maybe Carlos was right; maybe Ben wasn't as altruistic as he thought he was.

"What," Jay said, surprise plain on his face as he turned to Ben.

Ben smiled. "We didn't get to dance last time."

"Why do you want to dance with me?" Jay asked quietly.

"I like it," Ben admitted, though not admitting just how much dancing with Jay had calmed him. "Plus, I figure we should get some practice in, if we're to dance at the coronation ball."

He'd been avoiding the issue, but he couldn't any longer. It wouldn't be fair to Jay and the others, considering the coronation lay a little under two weeks away.

(Even if Ben tried not to think about it.)

Jay's eyes widened. "Shouldn't you dance with Mal?" He glanced at Mal.

"I'd love to dance with Mal," Ben said as he followed Jay's gaze, taking in the way Mal leaned against one of his bed posts, expression blank and body relaxed, "but I know she doesn't like it. Besides, it isn't like it's so terrible for me to dance with you."

Swallowing, Jay fidgeted, growing flustered. "Why do we have to practice?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

"The coronation ball is much more formal," Ben answered, tone already apologetic. "There's a specific order that specific styles of dance must follow. The first is the waltz." He offered Jay a smile. "I figured we could dance that, as you're familiar with it."

"Wait," Jay said, brow furrowed. "You mean you're willing to dance with me in front of your folks?" His eyes widened. "In front of actual kings and queens?"

"Of course," Ben said, heart clenching at Jay's expression. "You're nothing to be ashamed of, Jay." He squeezed Jay's hand, hoping his words would be believed. "Those people aren't more superior than you."

Let anyone try to tell Jay he isn't worthy of anything, and they'll deal with me, Ben thought, not quite alarmed with the fierce protectiveness that settled over him. Let anyone try to tell any of them they aren't worthy of anything, he thought, resolve growing.

"What about Evie?" Jay asked, bringing Ben out of his musings. 

"The second dance is a quadrille," Ben said. "I figured I could ask Evie to dance that one. It's a lot more old fashioned and required court etiquette, so I assume she knows a little about it, given who her mother is."

Jay's expression darkened for a moment, brief enough that Ben wondered if he imagined it, but as Jay blinked, his features smoothed, curiosity settling over them. "And then after that?"

"After that I'm at the mercy of whoever calls me," Ben said as pleasantly as he could.

A frown formed on Jay's lips. "Can't you just pick and choose? You're the king, after all."

Chuckling, Ben shook his head. "Alliances still have to be maintained, so dancing with the future rulers will ensure that those kingdoms won't break from Auradon's banner."

It was just another instance of Ben feeling like a chess piece than an actual human being. Political policies exhausted him.

"So it isn't an automatic thing?" Mal asked, finally speaking up from her spot against the bedpost. "It isn't like once you're in Auradon, you stay in Auradon?"

If only that were the case, Ben thought, refraining from sighing. Instead, he said, "No. It's a fragile treaty between kingdoms — and I do mean fragile. There were times when certain kingdoms threatened to break ties."

"Like who?" Mal asked.

"Agrabah," Ben answered, keeping his eyes on Mal as he said the name. "Atlantis. Arendelle." He smiled, chuckling a little. "They're known as the Three As, or the problem three. Maintaining the alliance with them is treading a fine line." Ben glanced at Jay as he continued, wondering if it were all right to speak about the topic in front of him. "Luckily, Agrabah's heir apparent is male, so I won't have to dance with him. If he were attending, that is."

If he remembered correctly, Aziz would still be traveling with his father by the time the coronation took place. Last he heard, Sultana Jasmine would be unavailable as well, and Ben breathed easy. One less thing for Jay to worry about.

"So he doesn't request?" Jay asked, posture a little stiff.

"So far, he hasn't," Ben answered. "Of course, he might be preoccupied with trying to find a suitable betrothed."

"So," Mal said, her eyes on Ben but her body language postured toward Jay, "the heir apparent to the other two kingdoms are both female?"

"Arendelle's heir apparent is not of age yet, and he is Elsa's nephew." Ben shrugged at their raised eyebrows. "Elsa hasn't elected to marry, so Anna's heirs are next in line for the throne."

"And Atlantis?" Jay asked.

Ben smiled. "That's a special case in that Queen Kida bore twins, Kyan and Kaia."

Mal scrunched up her nose. "How is that special? Wouldn't the twin who was born first take the throne?"

"Ordinarily," Ben said with a nod. "However, Atlantean succession isn't necessarily by descent. Kyan might not ascend the throne even though he was born first. They have to go through their own trials to determine what's best for their kingdom."

"Such nonsense," Mal muttered with a roll of her eyes. She looked at Ben, considering. "So you might have to dance with her?"

Ben nodded, and then he chuckled. "If Kyan sees me dancing with Jay, he might ask for a dance as well."

Mal blinked. "Does he like you?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that. It's more along the lines of how open Atlantean culture is," Ben answered. Despite the few times they've met, Ben got along with both Kyan and Kaia, but he wouldn't call it attraction on either party.

"I thought you said nobody cares who someone gets with in Auradon," Mal said, eyes narrowing minutely.

"They don't. It's just that these formal events are very old fashioned, so you usually don't see someone of the same gender dancing with the high king." Ben held back his frown as he noticed Jay's shoulders hunch. "Then again, that could just have been my father's preference, as other kingdoms have had same gendered couples in their royalty and nobility."

"Name one," Mal challenged, eyebrow raised.

"Queen Elsa was courted by a duchess once, and their relationship lasted about two years," Ben answered, curious about the intensity of Mal's eyes.

"Guess we know why she never married," Jay said, amused, tension easing from his shoulders once more but not leaving completely.

"You can marry someone of the same gender," Ben informed them. "It's just that, like I said, Queen Elsa is particular." It came with having the type of powers she had, Ben supposed, but he didn't really have an opinion of it.

And he'd rather not repeat his father's.

Mal hummed, intrigued. "She's the only one?"

"Corona had male rulers for a time," Ben said, somewhat amused that they were drilling him on his history. "King Gregory and his husband Prince Reginald. They had no heirs of their own, so King Gregory's niece ascended the throne. Maldonia also had male rulers. I believe they were King Naveen's great-uncles."

"This was all pre-Auradon, though, correct?" Jay's brow furrowed. "Would anything have changed?"

"Not that I'm aware of, or those kingdoms wouldn't be under Auradon's banner."

He also didn't need to voice his father's opinions on that, either.

"Point," Mal said as she plopped down on the chest at the foot of Ben's bed. "And I believe we've strayed off topic," she continued with a sly smile. "Which was dance practice, correct?"

Ben glanced at Jay, saw the realization on his face as his hand gingerly went to his neck, saw him swallow.

"He hasn't agreed to dance the waltz yet," Ben said, deciding to give Jay a break, and he turned to Mal with a smile. "Besides, Evie isn't here to discuss which dance she'd prefer."

Mal waved her hand dismissively. "Evie will be fine with the quadrille, or with whatever else you suggest, as long as she gets to dance with you." She pursed her lips, a smirk forming the longer she stared at them. "In fact, if it'll ease your mind, why not teach both to Jay?"

"Mal..." Jay said softly, not quite a whine, but as he glanced at Jay, his expression didn't convey he was entirely adverse to the idea.

"I could teach both, if you wouldn't mind," Ben offered, giving Jay the last say in the matter.

Swallowing, Jay licked his lips as he glanced from Mal to Ben. After a few seconds, he nodded.

Smiling, Ben offered his hand, giddiness fluttering within him as Jay accepted, and he led Jay to the center of his room. "I'll teach you the steps," Ben said as he moved Jay into starting position, "so you won't have to focus on the music."

"I never did," Jay said, a simple thing, but as he looked at Ben without worry, looked at him with trust, Ben grew increasingly warm.

He cleared his throat. "You shouldn't have a problem with this, then," he said lamely, attempting to gather his thoughts back to the dance, not Jay's eyes. He blinked, glancing around them. "We should really be in a more open space, but I suppose this will do. Just bear with me, as I'm not the best dancer."

"You seemed fine to me," Jay said, yet another simple thing that was anything but.

Ben smiled, both shy and flattered. "That's all that matters, then," he said, and, incredibly, he watched as Jay bit his bottom lip as he averted his eyes. Clearing his throat again, Ben continued. "So, I'll give it a rough run through first, then I'll break down the steps. Is that okay?"

Jay nodded as he took a deep breath, lifting his head and rolling his shoulders back, ready to follow Ben's lead.

Here goes, Ben thought as he began moving, humming lightly as he moved with Jay, somewhat surprised by how quickly Jay caught on, and he found himself smiling, found himself not dreading the coronation as much.

Ben had never liked the formality of the dances during the _formal_ balls, never liked how precise the movement must be or the order they had to follow, but as he moved with Jay, showed him the arm and hand and head and leg and feet placements, all he could do was smile.

Dancing with Jay would probably be the same experience as the Halloween Ball: a calming, reassuring presence that allowed Ben to loosen up and cast worry away.

The waltz had been fine to teach Jay, as he was a natural with it even during Halloween, but the quadrille was a little more difficult, more complicated and at a faster pace. Ben could see frustration on Jay's face every now and then, but he was impressed with the ease in which Jay picked up the steps.

Then again, Jay proved much more talented and natural in dance than Ben had ever been, so Ben supposed that he shouldn't be surprised, and he idly wondered how Jay would handle dancing the polka.

A knock paused their practice, and as Ben moved to the door, he noticed the smiles slip from Jay and Mal's faces. Taking a breath, he answered their caller, opening the door only a few cracks.

"Good evening, Your Majesty," Lumière said, a grin on his face, and his eyes traveled above Ben, attempting to see into the room.

"Hello, Lumière," Ben greeted, his hold on the door tightening a fraction. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, but it's what we could do for you," Lumière said, like he always did, his grin widening.

Refraining from shaking his head, Ben offered a smile. "Lumière," he prompted.

Nodding as he waved his joke away, Lumière cleared his throat. "Dinner will be served at eight, on the hour." The smile he gave Ben was too wide.

Trying to get a peek at my guests, I see, Ben thought, refraining from sighing. As if dinner were served at any other time, he thought, feeling only a smidgen of annoyance. Instead, he simply continued smiling as he said, "Thank you, Lumière. I'll see you then."

Though his smile faded some, Lumière thankfully gave a bow and took his leave. Of course, he would undoubtedly rush to Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth to inform them that Ben had _not_ allowed for a chance to interrogate his guests and so they had to wait until dinner.

He held his smile until he closed the door, letting it fall the moment the lock clicked, and he turned around with a small sigh. And then he blinked.

No one was in his room.

Puzzling, was all he could think as he stood where he was, blinking some more.

Purple and brown hair peeked out from the other side of the bed, and then two sets of eyes were blinking at him.

"Were you hiding?" Ben asked, still puzzled.

Pulling herself up, Mal shrugged. "We didn't know who it was."

Jay nodded as he pulled himself up as well. "Plus, you didn't open the door all the way." His eyebrow quirked, a crease to his brow.

Did they think it was my father, Ben thought, stomach dropping. "I just wanted to give you privacy. Lumière and the others mean well, but they can get a bit overbearing." That was an understatement, but they didn't need to know that. "I figured you didn't want to be pestered with questions."

"You figured right," was all Mal said as she plopped on Ben's bed, blinking when it gave a little bounce.

Snorting, Jay followed her lead, bouncing a little higher on purpose to jostle Mal, earning a glare for his efforts.

Amused, thinking the scene looked like the slumber parties he always read about, Ben joined them, sitting at the foot of his bed.

Though, maybe he should have kept his distance, given how Jay's expression went from amusement to pensive.

"This was a bad idea," Jay whispered, focused more on Mal.

Mal shrugged. "Nothing _terrible_ happened yet, and he's been on a date with each of you," she said, speaking as if Ben weren't sitting across from them.

"But I'm in his _room_ , for fuck's sake," he said, nearly whined, his hand running through his hair. "It was fine at a distance, but this is too close."

Ben blinked at Jay, alarmed. I thought we worked out our tension, he thought, dismayed, wondering what he could do to alleviate Jay's worry.

"Have you been getting any?" Mal asked, abrupt as she too blinked at Jay, expression turning critical. "I mean, when you and Carlos are alone."

Eyes downcast, Jay shook his head. "Not as much as I'd like, actually, but that's only because I don't want to disturb him."

Mal balked. "Disturb _Carlos_?"

Jay shrugged, a wry grin on his face. "Mal, c'mon, you've seen how focused he gets when he's working. I don't want to interrupt his flow just because my junk happens to feel neglected."

I have a feeling I shouldn't be here for this conversation, Ben thought, wondering why they seemed to forget he was present. Did they trust him that much? Did they just not care?

It seemed they were always sending him mixed signals.

"So you're pent up by the time Evie gets you?" Mal asked, considering.

"Not really," Jay mumbled, cheeks growing a shade darker. "I mean, I take care of myself mostly. Now that, you know..." He grew increasingly flustered, barely able to maintain eye contact with Mal.

It intrigued Ben, even if he knew he shouldn't be privy to their conversation, but he couldn't help staying silent; seeing Jay like that only made Ben want to protect him more, and he figured staying silent would help him gain the knowledge to do just that.

"Now that you're more open with what you want," Mal supplied, smiling — a soft smile, small and affectionate, so foreign on her face that Ben froze, falling more in love with her.

Jay huffed, running his hand through his hair again. "Yeah, fine, okay," he said, a trace of a smile on his lips. "It's funny. I didn't think I'd be comfortable with doing that near Carlos, but it turns out, I don't have to worry about fingering myself when he's nose deep in that laptop of his." He shared a shy, amused smile with Mal, leaning into her touch when she cupped his cheek.

"Fingering...?" Ben wondered aloud, blinking when they both snapped their attention on him. Oh, whoops, didn't mean to say that out loud, he thought as he swallowed. "Sorry..." And he was, considering Jay stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Why are you asking?" Mal asked, suspicious for some reason.

"It's interesting, I guess..." Ben's cheeks warmed the longer they looked at him. C'mon, brain, you're supposed to have a brain-to-mouth filter, he thought, embarrassed.

Mal gazed at him intently, studying, weighing.

"You can ask me anything, Mal," he said, even as he figured he very well might regret it this time.

Nodding, Mal asked, "Do you get off, Ben?"

"Get off," Ben repeated, dumbstruck. She couldn't be asking him what he thought she was, could she?

"Jerk off," Mal continued, gesturing lazily with her hand, "what's the word, masturbate." She looked at him curiously.

"Oh," Ben said, intelligently, trying to fight down the blush he knew he had. "Yes, I do..." He couldn't believe they were actually discussing such a topic of conversation so openly, without the snide and snickering atmosphere of the locker room.

"Allah, I don't think I can take this conversation," Jay mumbled, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Don't you want more material, Jay?" Mal asked with a smirk.

"You think about me when you masturbate?" Ben asked in surprise, blushing anew. Embarrassed as he was, he couldn't help but feel a little flattered — even if he felt that Jay could do better.

"Yeah, I'm outta here," Jay said as he made to get up.

Mal snorted as she grabbed his arm. "Stay," she said, waiting for him to resettle next to her before turning back to Ben. "What if he does?" she asked, and the challenge could be heard in her tone.

I don't comprehend that; why would he think of me, Ben thought, saying instead, "Wouldn't it be better to think of someone else?"

His answer evidently surprised Mal, both her eyebrows rising. "Like who? Who do you think about?"

Cheeks growing hot, Ben shook his head. "I don't think about anyone..."

"No way," Mal said, suspicious again.

"It, uh, feels like an invasion of privacy to me, you know?" Ben said, embarrassment filling him, especially because of what he'd admit next. "Besides, I can, uh, get off just fine by sensation alone."

He didn't know why he said it, didn't know why he felt the need to give justification or to actually talk about it. Perhaps it was because they were so open about it, so nonjudgmental, the snickering that usually accompanied the topic nowhere to be found.

Perhaps it was because they were talking to him about it as if he weren't the High King of Auradon.

"Fuck," Jay said, drawing out the word, and he covered his face with his hand again, shivering.

The action caught Mal's attention, and it was Jay's turn to be the subject of her scrutiny. She hummed, eyes half-lidded as she scooted closer to Jay. "Wanna get off right here, Jay?" she asked as she pulled his hand away from his face, her other hand lifting his chin. "Wanna show him?" Her voice was practically a purr.

"Mal," Jay whined as a shudder overtook him, his breathing becoming shallow as he bit his bottom lip.

"Mal, wait," Ben said, slightly concerned by Jay's changed behavior. "Jay shouldn't be made to do anything he's uncomfortable with," he said, his concern rising when Mal's expression remained the same.

He never thought she'd force Jay or the others to do something that they didn't want.

"This isn't him being uncomfortable," Mal said as she cupped Jay's chin, her other hand petting his hair. "This is Jay _liking_ the idea." And she smiled, affectionate and soft, as her thumb brushed Jay's lips.

"Really," Ben said quietly, swallowing, watching as Jay leaned into her touch, watching as Mal moved so that she was sitting behind Jay, supporting him as he leaned on her, her hand still in his hair.

Humming, Mal leaned in close to Jay's ear. "Isn't that right, Jay?" she whispered, smiling when Jay whimpered.

"Mal, I—" Jay gasped when Mal placed her hands on his chest, pulling him closer.

"Easy, Jay, I've got you," she murmured, her hands rubbing circles into his chest — over his nipples, Ben realized, blush burning his cheeks — as she pressed her lips to his ear. "Show him."

"He, he won't like it," Jay said through a moan, his hands opening and closing on his thighs. He glanced at Ben through his eyelashes.

Something fluttered in Ben's stomach.

"He can't take his eyes off you," she said, her gaze flickering to Ben. "He brought you here. He has you on his bed." Her hands traveled upward, to the necklace. "He gave you something as pretty as you are."

At Mal's words, any hesitancy still within him left Jay, and he sank further into her arms, his own hands roaming over his body, stopping at the necklace, just below it.

Ben's throat went dry as Jay played with his nipples, as he moaned just from the small action of tweaking them.

"That's it," Mal encouraged, her hands moving to his hips, "show him what you can do."

Nodding, Jay closed his eyes as his hands went to to the fly of his jeans, biting his bottom lip when he undid them.

He couldn't be... Ben thought, heart pounding, and his eyes widened when Jay braced his feet on the bed, lifting his hips in order to pull down his pants, and underwear, exposing how he was already half hard.

Oh my God, Ben thought, unable to look away despite the fact his face was on fire.

"Show him how little you actually need," Mal said, unfazed by the fact that Jay was now exposed in her arms. In fact, she went a step further and pulled Jay's tank top up over his head, letting it fall behind them.

Now that his chest was exposed as well, Jay shivered, a small moan leaving his throat as one of his hands reached up to touch the necklace while his other hand traveled to his mouth. Without preamble, Jay took his index and ring fingers into his mouth, sucking and licking without shame, his body flushing.

"That's it," Mal murmured, her finger tracing Jay's cheek, her gaze flickering over to Ben. "He's so enthralled, Jay, and it's all because of you."

Ben swallowed as he squirmed, Mal's words churning the embarrassment in his stomach, but he still couldn't look away, fascinated that there was no judgment in Mal's gaze, that Jay felt no embarrassment in doing this in front of them, in front of Ben, felt no shame that he was so exposed.

Jay groaned around his fingers, and his other hand moved from the necklace to a nipple.

"Show him, Jay," Mal said softly. "Let him see you."

Shuddering, Jay released his fingers with a small pop, slicked with his spit and the drool at the corners of his mouth. Those fingers traveled to his butt, to his hole, and before Ben could fully comprehend what was going on, Jay entered himself, a low groan escaping him.

Holy... Ben thought, cheeks too hot, mouth open in surprise.

"So good, Jay," Mal murmured, petting his hair. "Don't need much, do you?"

Whining, Jay shook his head, and his hand moved, his fingers thrusting into him slow at first, but as Jay moaned, as he arched off of Mal, his pace picked up, his thrusts harsh and deep. His other hand was still at his nipple, pinching and rubbing the nub between his fingers.

He's... he's not touching himself, Ben thought, and it struck him as a stupid thing to think. Because Jay was indeed touching himself — an act that captivated Ben's attention — he was just not touching his cock, which lay against his stomach, hard and leaking.

A moan left Jay's mouth as he twisted his wrist when he added another finger, his pace quickening still, his brow knitted and mouth open in little pants, his movements jostling the necklace, making the light catch on the gems.

Ben's throat had never felt so dry, his heart racing. Should he really be watching this?

"He's still watching you," Mal told Jay, her lips so close to his ear. "Are you close?"

" _Yes_ ," Jay breathed out, arching off of Mal, moaning louder, a thin sheen of sweat on his body, nodding absently with each thrust of his fingers. His cock remained untouched, but everything about him screamed aroused, broadcasted pleasure.

For some reason, Ben hadn't thought that it would feel good focusing on other parts of the body while ignoring the penis, but watching Jay, seeing the way he moaned and writhed, proved him wrong.

"Mal, I'm, I'm—" Jay gasped, the sound turning into a moan as he rolled his hips into his fingers.

"Good, Jay, so good," Mal murmured, holding him closer, her hand in his hair. "Now call his name," she said, more command than anything she'd spoken so far.

" _Ben_ ," Jay moaned out, eyes closed tight as a whine escaped him.

But Mal wasn't looking at Jay anymore; she was looking at Ben, her gaze intense, studying. Eyebrow quirking a fraction, she mouthed _call his name_.

Swallowing, unable to believe the situation, Ben said, "Jay." And he blushed fiercely at how hoarse his voice sounded.

Jay's eyes snapped open, his gaze right on Ben, and he immediately shuddered, something like a keen leaving his mouth as his body shook, his head falling back some on Mal's shoulder, his breaths shallow and uneven as he stared at Ben with hazy eyes.

Wow, was all Ben could think, transfixed.

Body still trembling, Jay lay practically boneless in Mal's arms, and Mal held him close, supporting him, whispering something into his ear, too soft and low to be deciphered, earning a soft sigh as Jay closed his eyes.

Ben swallowed. What was _that_ , he thought, his whole body warm, something fluttering in his belly.

"You have my permission to think about Jay the next time you decide to get off," Mal said, as if an afterthought, expression soft as she smoothed Jay's hair out of his face.

"I do?" Ben asked, bewildered and more than a little overheated, still unable to believe they were so comfortable talking about such things, let alone actually doing them, with each other.

Mal nodded. "It seems only fair." She glanced at him, a smirk forming on her lips as she caressed Jay's cheek, checking him. "After all, he thinks more than enough about you."

Awkward and insecure and yet a little flattered, Ben cleared his throat, ignoring the fact that Jay was still exposed and trying not to stare. "Is, is he okay?"

"Jay's a little different," Mal began, focused more on Jay as she spoke. "If he feels truly comfortable with someone or with an idea, he'll enter a different mental state." Mal shrugged. "I really don't know how to describe it, actually, but it makes everything more intense, and he'll always feel ten times better afterward."

"He, uh, he doesn't really look like it right now," Ben said, concerned. If he didn't know better, he'd say Jay was too drunk to move.

Mal huffed, amusement in her features. "Well, no, first he has to go through a type of cool down, I guess. We usually just hold him and fiddle with his hair until he's coherent again."

"So this is a regular occurrence," Ben said, not failing to notice her word choice; _we_ , she'd said. "You and him, him and the others."

Though her focus was primarily on Jay as she caressed his cheek, Mal glanced at Ben, her eyes bright. "Does that bother you?"

"No," he said, and oddly, it was the truth; he would have thought he'd be upset or jealous or something, but no, he just felt curious. "I guess I just don't see how it doesn't embarrass any of you." It would embarrass him.

It embarrassed him when he did it in the quiet solitude of his room; it would embarrass him to no end, being that vulnerable in front of them.

Mal nodded slowly. "We crossed that bridge long ago," she said, studying him, face blank.

"Then I'm happy you're so comfortable with each other," he said, and that was the truth, too. "That's a trust to envy."

He'd heard what the guys said in the locker room, heard about the contests and the spectacle of the act. It was one of the reasons Ben didn't do it often, outside of the fact that he hardly felt the urge.

But witnessing what Jay and Mal had just done was a different thing altogether. It hadn't been crass, or for sport, or a joke. Jay had trusted Mal — and Ben, come to think of it — with something deeply personal, and Mal had shown compassion and affection, had given support.

It was unlike anything Ben had seen, and he was still stunned they had elected to show him.

(He was also aware enough to admit that seeing Jay like that stirred something in him, but he was once again too cowardly to assess what that meant.)

Mal didn't say anything to that, but she smiled as she ran her fingers through Jay's hair, her smile softening whenever Jay made little hums of approval.

Clearing his throat and keeping his eyes trained on Mal's face and not Jay's exposed skin, Ben asked, "Um, does he want a bath or shower?"

He knew he always had to shower afterward, so he figured he might as well ask.

"You have a tub?" Mal asked, blinking at him.

Ben nodded. "But if he prefers to shower, I have that, too."

Mal considered as she glanced down at Jay, her fingers still in his hair. "I think the tub will be better." She looked at him. "Where is it?"

Blinking, Ben pointed to the door on the other side of his fireplace. "That door leads to my private bathroom. Shall I draw the bath?"

Silence answered him as Mal leaned into Jay, whispering something into his ear, watching the shiver leave him as he nodded. Smiling to herself, she glanced at Ben. "No, I'll do it," she said, repositioning Jay in her arms. "Come hold him for me while I do it."

Ben moved to take her place, cradling Jay in his arms, his fingers replacing hers in Jay's hair, and Ben once again ignored the fact that Jay was still exposed. That can't be comfortable for him, he thought, watching Jay sigh as Ben played with his hair.

Mal studied them for a moment before nodding to herself. "Okay, once I deem the bath ready, I'll let you know when to finish undressing him and bring him." With that, she walked to the bathroom.

For a long second, Ben wasn't sure he heard her correctly. Deciding to take a chance, Ben glanced down, took in the sight of Jay languid in his arms, breathing easy. His eyes couldn't help but roam over his body, couldn't help but let his gaze linger; he never allowed it before, especially in the locker room, never wanted to offend or invade privacy, but now, after seeing Jay do that...

I still shouldn't look, he thought, scolding himself and forcing his gaze away from Jay's toned body, a body that undoubtedly caused envy among their peers, but before he could focus on something that wasn't Jay's skin, Ben's gaze fell on the necklace he'd given Jay.

When he imagined giving it to Jay, Ben never imagined that Jay would wear it while doing _that_. Thinking about the possibility of Jay doing it again while wearing the necklace made Ben a little hot under the collar.

A hum caught his attention. "Ben?" Jay called, voice hoarse, bringing Ben out of his musings.

"I'm here," Ben answered, resuming his motion of smoothing down Jay's hair when he realized he'd stopped.

"Am I different now?" Jay asked quietly. Tension rose in his shoulders, his body losing the looseness it had a moment ago. 

It made his heart clench. "You're still Jay," Ben told him, holding him a little tighter. "You're still the Jay I care about."

Jay shivered, but his tension eased. He chuckled a little. "Didn't think you'd be near if I ever dropped trou."

"Me either," Ben said, amused but grateful Jay couldn't see his face, couldn't see his blush.

"Thank you," Jay murmured, tone so soft.

"For what?" Ben asked, curious.

"For the necklace," Jay said. "For the dances, for your acceptance." He tipped his head back, gazing up at Ben, eyes gleaming and expression sincere. "I never thanked you."

"You never needed to, Jay," he said, a smile forming on his lips. "I'm happy making you happy."

A half smile appeared on Jay's lips, shy but genuine, and he repositioned himself, no longer looking up at Ben, sighing as he all but cuddled against Ben.

"Okay, Ben, bring him in," came Mal's voice from the bathroom.

Remembering his task, Ben fought down the blush rising in his cheeks as he moved from behind Jay, a hand still on his shoulder for support. "Can you sit up by yourself?"

Jay nodded, eyes averted.

Nodding, Ben moved to Jay's legs, to the jeans bunched at his ankles. Keeping his eyes focused on the clothes and not Jay's skin, he untied Jay's boots first before he slipped them off, and he pulled off Jay's jeans, underwear, and socks.

"Can you walk?"

"Probably," Jay said as he scooted to the edge of the bed. The movement had the light catching on the necklace.

"Ah, wait a second," Ben said as he moved in front of Jay. He reached around his neck, ignoring Jay's surprised expression, and unclasped the necklace, removing it from Jay's skin and placing it on the bed.

"Oh," Jay murmured, gaze traveling from the necklace to Ben.

"Now you can get in the tub," Ben said, amused. He offered his hand to Jay, gently pulling Jay to his feet when he accepted.

Jay took two steps toward the bathroom before he wobbled dangerously, and he made a quiet grunt as one of his legs gave out.

Alarmed, Ben rushed to his side, catching Jay before he could fall. "You okay?"

"Sorry, it's usually over by now," he mumbled, face flushing in embarrassment.

Can't be helped, Ben thought, and he gently gathered Jay into his arms, one arm under his legs and one supporting his back, smiling at the small yelp Jay made as he quickly secured his arms around Ben's neck.

Jay blinked at him. "Ben...?"

"I've got you, Jay," Ben said, offering a smile as he carried Jay to the bathroom.

Jay remained quiet as they entered the room, but his hold on Ben tightened when Mal looked up at them.

"About time," was the only thing she said as she stood up. "Get him situated. I'll get our things."

"Pardon?" Ben said, blinking.

"Our things," Mal repeated, amused. "I'll shower while he's in the tub." She left the room before he could respond.

Well, okay then, Ben thought as he walked to the tub. "I'm gonna set you down now, okay?" Ben asked him. He waited for Jay to nod, then he gently lowered Jay into the water.

"Allah, this is nice," Jay murmured, resting his head on the rim of the tub.

Chuckling, Ben said, "I'm glad."

"All right, Jay," Mal said as she re-entered, tossing something on the sink. "This is your crap. Don't drown as you soak."

"Ha ha," Jay said, deadpan, but he sighed in content as he closed his eyes.

Mal started the shower, letting the water warm, and she glanced at Ben as she undid her jacket. "You staying?"

Ben blinked. "Uh, no. I'll leave." He bumped his elbow as he made his retreat, barely registering the fact that both Mal and Jay waved lazily as he left.

What a turn of events, he thought as he walked absently around his room, still trying to process what happened. Though, he still felt flattered that they trusted him enough to show him that.

He'd never been that close to anyone before, and for the first time in forever he felt like a normal teen.

Ben leaned against his bedpost, blinking at his bed. The necklace stood out on his cover, and his gaze traveled over it, over the bed, taking in the traces of Jay that was leftover from his activity. For a moment, an image of Jay and Mal flashed in his mind.

And just like that, the realization of what actually happened hit Ben, his body overheating, the sudden sensation dizzying, and he covered his mouth to suppress the startled gasp from escaping. He was sure that, if he would look into a mirror, he'd find his face impossibly flushed, especially since arousal had made its way down to his _lower_ body.

Ben had never experienced something like this before.

A knock on the door sounded, startling him, and he tried to breathe evenly in an attempt to calm down and appear normal before striding to the door.

"Good evening, Your Majesty," Mrs. Potts greeted with a small curtsy. "Just wanted to confirm if your guests are coming for— Master Ben!" she exclaimed when she actually looked at his face, concern blooming across her own.

Crap, he thought, doing his best to give her a smile. "Actually, Mrs. Potts, do you think it'll be possible to dine in my room? I feel a little off..." He did his best to sound nonchalant, but embarrassment flared within him; it wasn't a total lie, but Ben would rather face the council summit again before telling Mrs. Potts that he was _aroused_.

"Under the weather?" she asked, fretting, and she glanced over his shoulder, tip-toed for a better view. "And your guests?"

"Showering," Ben answered, a nervous smile settling on his face. "We had dance practice for the coronation. Maybe we over did it."

Mrs. Potts nodded, understanding in her features. "Don't worry, Master Ben, I understand. How about a nice spot of tea as well?" she asked, expression hopeful.

Chuckling, Ben nodded. "Of course. Thank you, Mrs. Potts."

"No worries, child," she said, tone soft and expression fond. "Supper will be delivered at eight on the hour." She gave him a wink.

He huffed, amused; Mrs. Potts was the only one who still treated him like a child. "Yes, ma'am." He watched her curtsy again before she hurried down the hall.

After closing the door, Ben leaned against it, staring out into space, not really seeing anything. Today was such a weird day for him, and to top it off, he didn't know what to do with the excess energy he could feel thrumming through his veins.

Stop thinking about it, Ben thought, scolding himself, and he walked toward the center of the room, still in a daze. Without thinking, Ben fell forward, catching himself and immediately beginning a set of pushups.

Maybe not the brightest ideas, but exercise was what he did when he didn't want to think so much, so he continued his set, his focus shifting on the process of lifting and lowering his body and nothing else.

—

True to form, Ben's mind had dulled during his exercise, and he was unaware of his surroundings, so much so that he startled when he felt something tap his calf.

Blinking, Ben jumped up, barely out of breath, looking at the way Mal had her foot positioned for another light kick with a raised eyebrow.

"You didn't answer me," she said by way of explanation, a slight crease to her brow. "What are you doing?"

Ben blinked again, glancing at Jay as he meandered out of the bathroom. Both he and Mal were dressed in light, threadbare clothes that Ben guessed served as their pajamas. He cleared his throat. "Passing the time," he said, feeling silly.

Mal raised her eyebrow but said nothing.

"Um," he began then thought better of it, wondering if he'd offend.

"Yes?" Mal prompted.

"You might be cold in that," he said, shrugging a little when she looked down at herself. "There's a reason for the fireplace. It can get pretty cold at night."

"What do you wear then?" Jay asked, his hair still dripping, wetting his shirt.

That's a good idea, he thought as he moved toward his dressers. "Oh, well, here, I can—" He stopped, Mal's hand on his arm insistent. He looked at her, curious.

"How long were you doing that?"

"You mean pushups?" At Mal's nod, he continued. "A little after Miss Potts left, I guess." He blinked at Mal's blank face, realizing she had no idea who Mrs. Potts was. "Oh, she came by a few minutes after I left you guys in the bathroom."

"And you didn't even break a sweat," Mal said quietly, as if making an observation, letting go his arm.

Chuckling, Ben shrugged. "I feel like I did, though. Think it's my turn in the shower." He walked to his dressers, opening a drawer and pulling out pajamas. Pausing, he left the drawer open, and he turned to them. "You can wear something of mine, so you won't be cold during the night."

Mal nodded, still pensive even as she shooed Ben into the bathroom with her hand.

Ben nodded to Jay as they passed each other, noting that he indeed looked a lot more relaxed, but he couldn't be sure if it were because of what Jay did with Mal or because of the bath.

At the memory of Jay on his bed, Ben felt his face warm again, and he shut the bathroom door with a sigh. He'd hoped the exercise would distract both his mind and body, but it seemed it wasn't enough.

Especially since he was still half hard.

I am not doing that, he thought stubbornly as he undressed, refusing to even acknowledge the state of his body as he turned the water on, grateful he didn't have to wait long for the water to warm.

Maybe I should take a cold shower, though, he thought as he stepped into the spray, sighing at the heat washing over his body. Just shower and get out, he thought, running his hands through his hair, making sure it was soaked.

He closed his eyes, his hands moving down his face, and an image of Jay's toned body arching off of a supportive Mal flashed into his mind, and Ben gasped, a fire kindling in his belly.

"Am I really thinking about this," he whispered to himself, nervous, but the fire only burned hotter, so hot that his knees shook. Glancing down, it was difficult to ignore his cock, hard and aching, and he hesitantly reached for it, wanting relief.

An image of Jay sucking on his fingers flickered in his mind, and Ben's arousal flared. Should I... he thought even as his hand moved of its own accord, his fingers pressing against his lips, and he swallowed, opening his mouth, taking in his fingers.

He had only ever masturbated in his bed with the lights off, under his covers, and though he had experimented with touching other parts of his body, nothing really felt as good as his hand on his cock. He couldn't believe he was going to get off there with Mal and Jay in the other room, couldn't believe he was taking his fingers in his mouth, licking and sucking and hollowing out his cheeks as if it were something _else_.

A moan escaped him, unbidden, and he rolled his hips on instinct.

_You have my permission to think about Jay the next time you decide to get off_. Ben blinked, overheated, and he released his fingers with a gasp, shaking his head. I shouldn't... he thought, despite his hand traveling south, traveling to his butt, and his other hand covered his mouth in an effort to muffle any sound he should make.

His hand tightened on his mouth, catching his groan as his fingers entered him, a spark jolting his entire body.

Shivering despite the warmth of the water's spray, Ben slowly made his way to his knees, not wanting to risk embarrassment or injury by slipping in the shower. And then he moved his fingers.

It felt weird, playing with his ass like that, but he figured it felt no weirder than the first time he touched his cock with the intent to actually reach orgasm, and Ben assumed that the action would lose its foreignness the more he practiced. The thought made his mind hazy, realizing that he was actually planning on doing this in the future.

A spike of pleasure coursed through him as he went deeper, and he tried to copy Jay's movements, keeping his wits about him enough to restrain his voice, but it was difficult, the stretch and the thrusts giving him such new sensations.

And then he changed his angle, more on accident than anything else, and his fingers brushed against something that set the fire within him to a roaring blaze.

"F-fuck," Ben gasped out, arching as his picked up his pace, as he ground down on his fingers.

In a subconscious effort to copy all that Jay had done, Ben's free hand traveled, unbidden, to a nipple, his fingers encircling, rubbing, playing, and even as he fought to contain his moans, Ben had never felt so carefree, so _pleasured_ , before.

His breaths came out in pants, and try as he might, he couldn't stop himself from whimpering at the sensations his hands caused, couldn't stop the way his eyes glanced at his cock, hard, aching, leaking, untouched, and Ben closed his eyes, brow knitted as he pinched his nipple on a particularly rough thrust.

And the image of Mal's serene expression, her half-lidded gaze calm and supportive, and the image of Jay's arousal, eyes closed tight and mouth open in pleasure, entered his mind, and Ben's eyes snapped open as he hit that spot within him again, as he came, his whole body trembling with the feeling.

Panting, Ben stared, eyes widening at the realization that he had gotten off with his fingers in his ass, by playing with his nipples, without ever touching his cock, all while thinking of _both_ Jay and Mal, in the shower.

What would his father had said? Ben was sure he did _not_ want to know.

And to top it all off, Ben had done what he did with Mal and Jay in the next room, had took it upon himself to listen to Mal's words at the first available moment without double checking that everything would be okay.

Oh God, how can I face them now, he thought, lamenting his poor control.

But even though he felt embarrassment in his cheeks, Ben couldn't deny how sated he felt, how at ease his body was, even as he tried to regain his even breathing.

Was that how masturbation was supposed to feel? All pleasure and no shame?

Well, no shame at the time, Ben thought as he sighed, and he merely sat on the shower floor for a few more seconds, wondering how on Earth the night had turned out like this.

Gingerly, he stood, intent to finish his shower and, though dread settled in his stomach at the thought, facing Mal and Jay.

If he could fight down the blush in his cheeks.

—

When he finally calmed down enough to leave the bathroom, Ben walked into his room and was immediately hit with wonderful aromas.

"Eight o'clock already?" he asked, amused.

Mal and Jay were seated on his bed, still as statues and just as quiet, glancing at him as he stepped further into the room, eyes wider than usual, causing alarm to rise up Ben's spine.

"One is usually prompt to supper, Master Ben," came a reply.

Ben nearly startled. He hadn't noticed Mr. Carver, the butler of the castle, standing next to the table. He smiled, hoping his hesitation hadn't been noticed. "A few minutes won't hurt anyone, Mr. Carver."

Mr. Carver huffed. "I suppose not, but your guests seem to have forgotten the time. Shall I try to send for them?"

Doing his best not to turn to his bed, Ben shook his head. "I'm sure they just stepped outside for some fresh air. Don't worry, I'll wait for them." He gave Mr. Carver a smile. "You can leave, Mr. Carver, it's no trouble."

"Unorthodox, Master Ben," Mr. Carver said, but he bowed and made his way to the door. "And will your footmen remain dismissed through the night?" he asked before he left the room, turning to Ben.

"Yes, I've given them the weekend off," he said, and his tone came out a little firmer than he intended. He couldn't help it; some traditions were too tedious for him.

"Very good, sire," Mr. Carver said, his expression saying otherwise. With another bow, he took his leave.

Now that they were alone, Ben turned to Mal and Jay, eyebrow raised. "Hiding in plain sight now?"

The fact that they could both use magic escaped him most of the time, and he wondered if he should speak to them about it. For now, though, he was more concerned with the fact that they looked stricken.

Jay coughed, flustered. "He caught me off guard."

You did leave them all alone in a foreign place, he thought, scolding himself. "He _is_ sneaky like that. I can see why them sent him," Ben said with a sigh, already forgiving them for using magic within the castle.

He was just glad his father was elsewhere.

"Oh?" Mal said, sliding off the bed as she joined Ben at the table.

Noticing that she had on one of his night shirts, left unbuttoned so that it draped over her like a cape, Ben nodded absently. "Yeah. Cogsworth is the only one who actually saw what you both look like. Basically, they're just being nosy." He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Now you see why I hardly have guests."

"So you don't do this often?" Jay asked, joining them as well, peeking at the contents of the meal that was delivered.

"I never do this," Ben said, embarrassed, more so when he realized that Jay had on a pair of his sleep pants, his hair still dampening the threadbare shirt he wore. Ben cleared his throat. "I've always heard and read about sleepovers, but I've never experienced them."

Jay made a soft grunt. "Well, fuck me, man," he muttered, arms crossed as he frowned at the table.

Oh, have I offended again, Ben thought, glancing between them.

"You and Evie need to talk," Mal murmured, shrugging. "C'mon, your kingliness, let's eat."

Ben chuckled as Mal pulled him toward a chair, laughing fully when Jay picked up Mal and carried her around the table before setting her down in the chair she had been initially near.

It was surreal, eating with them in his room, watching them laugh and tease and smile, and Ben felt warm, felt happy. He was glad his first sleepover involved them, glad they agreed, glad they trusted him enough to relax despite being in a new place.

It made him sad, though, that Evie and Carlos were absent. All of them there would have been special, would have felt more complete.

But seeing Mal and Jay enjoy themselves was enough to put a smile on his face, and he let them do as they pleased, more than willing to give them that small allowance.

It was the least he could do.

—

"What are you doing?" Ben asked, blinking as he glanced at the both of them.

"About to go to sleep," Mal said from her spot lounging on his bed, propped up on her elbow as she looked at him expectantly.

"I can see that from you," Ben said diplomatically, but he raised an eyebrow as he looked at Jay. "But what is Jay doing?"

"Picking up your crap," Jay said, gathering the quilt and the pillows Ben had laid out after they had finished eating.

"Yes, I can see that too, but why?"

Jay looked at him like he was slow. "Because they belong on your bed."

"As do you," Mal finished, expression more serene than usual.

Ben cleared his throat. "I was going to give you two the bed."

Jay snorted. "That's nice and all, but we can just sleep together." He walked to the bed, tossing the quilt and pillows at Mal. "I mean, it's big enough, right?"

It certainly was, bigger than the bed in his dorm room, which was one of the biggest in all the dormitories, thanks to the fact that he had gotten one of the few grand suites due to him being high king.

"Isn't that what people do at sleepovers, anyway?" Mal asked, head tilted. "At least, that's what Evie led us to believe."

Jay huffed, amused. "Even if it isn't, I'd go with Evie's definition any day."

Mal smiled. "Her bed was surprisingly comfortable."

"Better than a rug on the floor, most days," Jay agreed, plopping down on the edge of the bed.

Ben's heart clenched at the casual way Jay spoke about his former sleeping arrangements, wondering if Jay realized he were saying it so openly, and Ben tried to act nonchalant as he approached them, focusing more on inspecting the covers.

"What are you looking for?" Mal asked, blinking at him curiously.

"I'm pretty sure I left Jay's necklace on the bed," Ben said.

Snorting, Mal gave a lazy wave of her hand. "He put it back in its box so that I could clean up his mess."

A brief glance told Ben that Jay flushed at the reminder of what had happened, but neither he or Mal seemed too bothered by it, so if they weren't going to fixate on it, Ben wouldn't either.

Even if he wanted to turn red all over from the fact that he had taken... inspiration from Jay's action.

Clearing his throat, Ben asked, "So, where do you want me?"

Mal smirked as Jay glanced upward, and Ben belatedly realized how his question could be misinterpreted.

Before he could rephrase, Mal said, "In the middle."

Her smirk, though, hadn't faded, and Ben wondered if she had meant her answer in another way.

You're overthinking again, he thought as he crawled into the bed, deciding to let the chips fall where they might, and he was mildly fascinated with how Jay and Mal fell into step, moving about so that all three were under the covers, Mal and Jay close to his sides.

"Oh," Ben said, blinking up at the ceiling, "I forgot to turn off the lights." He made to get up, but Mal's hand on his chest stopped him.

"Relax," she said, a small yawn escaping her. "Jay."

No sooner than she said Jay's name, the lights went out, and the both of them got even closer to Ben, Mal's hand staying on his chest and Jay's head resting against his shoulder.

Ben felt warmer, felt safer, than he ever had in his own bed.

"Thank you," he said softly into the darkness, drowsiness settling over him, "for coming here this weekend."

The quiet that answered him was peaceful, nowhere near deafening as usual, and Ben found himself dozing.

"Thank you," Mal whispered, barely jostling Ben from sleep's grasp.

"For inviting us," Jay finished, somehow softer than Ma had spoken.

Warmer and more content, Ben breathed a relieved sigh, and he let sleep take him, thoughts of dance practices and relaxing dinners in his head.

—

The day had started out fine for a Monday, better than most of Ben's days, actually, as Evie and Jay met him at his door, Jay handing him breakfast and Evie going over the gaps in his schedule so that he could take proper breaks.

It wasn't pampering, not really, considering Jay stole some of his breakfast and Evie hit both of them on the arm when their laughter distracted Ben from Evie's suggestions, so Ben felt warm, felt cared for by friends — friends who had his feelings in mine.

But he couldn't stay with Evie and Jay for long. The classes they took separated them all, quite literally, and Ben's first class turned sour when Chad had actually confronted him with talk of breeding and bad blood. It had made him angry, and it took a surprisingly amount of restraint for Ben to give the cold shoulder and not something else.

And that only served to churn his stomach further, the thought that he would be so keen to choose violence sickening.

Ben didn't know what was getting into him.

Next came the unscheduled meetings that caused Ben to miss two of his classes as well as lunch. He was already fed up with the fact that Arendelle once again wanted to renegotiate trade relations within Auradon, but Camelot wanted to talk of restricting visitors to its kingdom, and that was a can of worms by itself.

He only briefly saw Mal and Carlos in passing as he made his way to his last class, and he was honestly surprised when they handed him some food, even more surprised that they both offered physical comfort, Mal by ruffling his hair and Carlos by patting his shoulder. It had been so natural, as if they'd been doing it for years, that Ben had paused, only moving again when Doug called out a greeting.

His last class was uneventful, thankfully, being his independent study, which allowed him to sneak bites of the food he was given, quelling his hunger and brightening his mood. He couldn't take it easy completely, though, as the professors of the classes he missed sent coursework for him to do so that he wouldn't fall behind.

Just the perks of being king, he thought as he went through the motions, lamenting the fact that he'd have extra homework in order to prove to the professors that he knew the topic well enough to continue with the lessons.

When the class was dismissed, he could have sang in joy, but instead of embarrassing himself, again, he merely made his way back to his dorm, intent to get a nap in before the council meeting later in the day.

"Ben," came a call, prompting him to turn.

Jane walked up to him, head held higher than she'd normally would, an air of confidence to her stride that he hadn't seen in her for many a year.

"Hello, Jane," he greeted with a smile. Though, it faded some when he noticed the clipboard in her hand.

She noticed and offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry," she said as she presented the clipboard. "My mom tried to find you earlier."

"Pulled into impromptu meetings," he said with a sigh, looking over the paperwork — the early dismissal signoff for the coronation — with tired eyes. When he determined that nothing had to be changed, Ben signed the papers and returned them to Jane.

"Thanks," she said, smiling, wide and unrestrained, her eyes lighting up, and that coupled with the purple blouse she wore made the pale blue of her eyes so bright.

"You look good," Ben said with a smile of his own, unable to resist commenting on her outlook; he'd rarely seen Jane this relaxed and confident.

"Oh?" She blushed, hugging the clipboard to her chest. "I-I've been spending time with Audrey and her friends." She chuckled, shrugging. "I think I'm her new project or something." Her smile returning, she twirled a little, showing off the way her skirt moved with the action, flipping her hair off of her shoulders when she stopped. "As you probably could tell." 

At the mention of Audrey, Ben's heart ached; he still hadn't reconciled with her. Still, he wanted to correct something Jane had said, so he pushed past the ache. "Well, I was actually referring to your smile," Ben explained, smiling when Jane blushed again. "Confidence looks good on you."

"Thanks, Ben," Jane said, soft but heartfelt. "I'll try to keep it up." She chuckled again, a nervous habit she had since they were little, but she stared at him, unblinking and blank in a way that reminded Ben of Mal.

Huh, he thought, wondering what Jane could be searching for in his features.

"How are you?" she asked, curious. "No one really sees you that often anymore."

Ben smiled, embarrassed. "Yeah... I guess I've just been spending a lot of my time with Mal and the others."

Jane nodded, smiling politely, but the way she still studied him almost put him on edge.

When did that happen, he thought; he'd always liked being near Jane, as her presence was calming on more than one occasion, and he never felt like he was being measured by her gaze, not like now.

"Is something wrong?" he prompted when a good minute or two passed in silence.

Blinking, Jane simply smiled. "I guess it's just weird how no one ever sees you nowadays."

She's deflecting, he thought, realization dawning, and that more than anything put him on edge, put him on alert. "Jane, is everything okay?" he asked again, this time really looking.

Something was going on, and he wasn't sure exactly what role Jane was playing in it, but Ben knew that she would never make a study of him so intently, so openly, unless something was off.

A blush spread across her cheeks, and Jane bowed her head, her usual timidness returning. "It, it was really nice to see you, Ben. Take care with your studies!" She gave him a quick wave and hurried away, heading for the freshmen dorm.

Brow creased, Ben watched her for a few moments, their conversation puzzling. What could she have been looking for, he thought, and with a sigh, he continued his walk to his dorm.

"Well," came a voice that made his heart ache, "imagine seeing you here." Audrey looked up from her spot on the bench, expression neutral.

She was too poised, too picturesque, as if she had been waiting, and suddenly Jane's behavior made sense.

Jane had been checking me, he thought, and irritation filled him, that Audrey had put Jane up to the task, that Jane had agreed.

"I'm surprised you're not attached to your girlfriend's hip," she continued, the blankness of her face melting a little, the disgust peeking through to the surface.

"You mean like you were attached to mine," he replied before he thought better of it. Ben winced, especially since Audrey's face had hardened. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for..."

Audrey shook her head. "What's gotten into you, Ben?" she asked as she rose to her feet. "It's... it's like you're under a spell or something." Her eyes narrowed as she looked him over, confirming Ben's theory.

I guess you do have reason to be wary, considering Mal did spell me, he thought as he sighed. Still, it wasn't right for her to get Jane involved in this, especially when it only concerned Audrey and him. "I promise I'm not under a spell," he began, already tired with the conversation.

"And how would you know if you were?" she challenged, her hands on her hips. "This could just be some scheme of revenge to get back for what happened at the Halloween Ball." Though the words were steady, though her expression was more or less neutral, at the mention of the ball, Audrey's jaw flexed, her brow creasing minutely.

"If I were truly under Mal's spell, do you think she'd let me near you?" he asked, disliking how he were even discussing the matter. "I know how upset they got over that little _stunt_ at the ball, but they wouldn't spell me just to get back at you!" He had to breathe to rein in his anger at the memory, to get rid of the image of them frozen and terrified. "If anything, they would probably go after Chad, seeing as he was the ring leader," he added, as an afterthought, still upset that the event even happened.

Audrey's frowned. "See, it's phrases like that that make me not believe you," she said, hugging herself. "You have to be under a spell if you defend them and not one of your best friends!"

Ben refrained from making a face; sure Chad was a friend, but Ben wouldn't necessarily call him a best friend. After all, he had more in common, and more fun with, Doug than he did with Chad. Still...

"Friends call each other out, Audrey," Ben said, trying to get her to understand. "What Chad did was _wrong_. How could you not see the _effect_ that stupid prank had on them?" He didn't think he'd ever forget their faces, the fear in their eyes, the emptiness in Jay's. 

Though her expression remained cool, Audrey swallowed, the regret flashing on her face even as she held her head high, and Ben knew right then and there that she _had_ seen it, and that eased his emotions; he had always known she a good heart underneath the bravado.

But that didn't change the fact that she was a part of the damn prank, or the fact that she was still insistent on this spell thing.

"Why is it so hard to believe that I'm with Mal of my own volition?" he asked, genuinely curious. He knew the history between her family and Mal's, but it didn't seem like it was the only reason.

"Because you were with me!" she said, hugging herself tighter, frowning. "We were happy together, Ben. Your father gushed nonstop about it, about us."

"Of course my dad gushed; he's the one that pushed the relationship," he said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Audrey blinked. "You didn't want to be with me?"

"I wouldn't say that," he said, uneasy. He hadn't wanted to have this conversation like this, when they were both tired and frustrated and ready to attack.

He didn't want to fight with his best friend.

"Then what is it, Ben?" She held up a finger, waving it a little at him. "And don't give me half-assed answers. Save that for the throne." Her tone was stern, like it always was when she'd tell him to be more confident.

Despite it all, Ben huffed, mostly in amusement, but also in defeat. "The throne is why he wanted us to be together. It's why he approved of you in the first place."

Audrey paused, and she became expressionless, her eyes searching his face. "You're the high king, official at the end of the month," she said calmly, but her gaze was still critical, calculating.

"For a little while," Ben said on a sigh. "That crown is elected, not inherited. My family's blood isn't any more royal than Doug's." And he hated saying it, hated to even imply that Doug and his family were somehow lesser than others.

Lesser than him.

Audrey's indifferent mask cracked, her lip trembling the slightest fraction. "And my family's blood goes back hundreds of years," she said, echoing the words she spoke on Mal and the gang's orientation. "Your father wanted you to be with me because I'll be ascending the throne to two kingdoms." She looked at him, the dare to prove her wrong clear.

It seemed he always had to disappoint her. "Yeah," he confirmed, stomach churning at the way her face fell. "I'm sorry, Audrey."

A few long seconds, Audrey did nothing. Then, she took a breath, releasing it steadily. "So you knew?"

"Not that first year," he said quietly. "I just thought he liked you the most out of all my friends."

"And why wouldn't he?" she said, trying for levity, but the tremor in her voice broke the desired effect.

"Then I overheard him talking to my mom," he continued, both upset that he stumbled upon that conversation and glad he did, "and it didn't feel right that I was with you anymore."

Audrey nodded, needing nothing more from him to understand; it was a quality in her that he loved. She swallowed. "Did you love me? Ever?" she asked, so soft, so different from her usual confidence, that it nearly broke his heart.

"Of course I did," Ben said, and he couldn't deny how much he loved her, how much he still cared for her. "I still love you."

A smile, as small and trembling as it was, appeared on her face. "Just not like Mal?"

Ben glanced down, couldn't look her in the eyes, couldn't reject her so absolutely to her face. He meant it when he'd said he still loved her. He would always love her.

"Ben," Audrey said quietly, her gentle hand resting on his shoulder, "can you do me a favor?"

"Of course," Ben said, without hesitation, because he needed to make it up to her, because she deserved better.

"Kiss me," Audrey said as she gently turned his face to hers.

He blinked. "Audrey..." he began, heart aching a little, "I can't... I'm dating Mal." Bad enough he cheated on Audrey without meaning to, but he wouldn't cheat on Mal while he was of sound mind.

"Please, Ben," she pleaded. "Just a kiss goodbye." She shook her head when he opened his mouth. "A proper goodbye. Please." She bit her bottom lip, deliberating. "I'll even go to Mal to tell her I asked for a goodbye kiss."

Letting out a sigh himself, Ben nodded. "Okay. Just a goodbye kiss." When she nodded, he leaned in, meeting her lips with his, and he was reminded of all the times they spent together, of the picnics and parties and luncheons and balls, was reminded of how he was happy with her until he overheard his father's plot.

He hadn't thought their love was the type of true love that conquered all, but he had felt love for her as sure as he could breathe air.

When he pulled away, Audrey lingered close, her eyes opening slowly, and there was a heavy silence as they stared at each other. And then she took in a deep breath, letting out a shaky exhale.

"I guess I'm not the one you love," she said, her smile trembling, her eyes watery, "and I guess you aren't mine."

I should have known, he thought sadly, unsure of whether he could touch, could comfort. "I'm not under a spell," he said softly. "Look into my eyes, Audrey, I promise."

Audrey took a steadying breath and did as told, really searching intently. "Part of me hoped you would be," she confessed quietly, "part of me hoped I could break the spell, that we could have a love story as great as our parents' had."

"I don't want a love story like my parents," Ben confessed just as quietly. "I want to write my own."

She huffed, rubbing under her eyes. "You make me so mad," she said, a pout on her lips but no heat to her words.

"I'm sorry," Ben still said, knowing he owed her a lot more than those simple words.

"Stop apologizing," Audrey scolded. "No one wants a king who apologizes so much."

He couldn't help the way his lips quirked upward; even now, she still tried to protect him. "Well, people will have to deal with it because I have a lot to apologize for. I shouldn't have broken up with you like that." He winced. "You can't even call what I did breaking up with you."

She didn't snort, exactly, but it was a close thing. "Damn right you can't."

"But, um, you did go with Chad," he reminded her, still puzzled by that.

"I tried to save face," Audrey corrected. "Do you think I'd honestly get with Chad? There's no way he'd ever make a good partner in ruling a kingdom."

Huffing a little, Ben shook his head. He should have known Audrey always had a plan. "And you're still going to the coronation with him?" he asked, curiosity too great.

Eyebrow raised, Audrey asked, "Why do you care?"

"Just because we're no longer dating doesn't mean I've stopped caring about you," he told her, chest aching a little.

"You annoy me," she said, matter-of-fact as she crossed her arms.

Ben blinked. "Sorry?" Though, he supposed he couldn't fault her for thinking like that.

Rolling her eyes, she gestured to him. "That's exactly why you annoy me. You couldn't be insincere if you tried." She sighed, rubbing her temple as she glanced at him. "I do believe in you, Ben. I do believe you'll make a great king. But the islanders..."

"They have names," Ben gently reminded her.

"And they have parents," she countered.

"I think we both know that we aren't automatically like our parents, Audrey," he said softly.

"Point," she conceded, wincing in apology. She sighed again. "You're still in a precarious situation."

"How so?"

"Ben," she sighed out, exasperated. "Only you would forget what you put in your own proclamation."

Oh, that's what she meant, he thought, giving her a shrug. "A king should bring forth peace. If I can't do that between Auradon and four teenagers, I don't deserve the title."

"So annoying," she said, just a hint of teasing to her voice. She eyed his phone as it beeped. "Your girlfriend?" she asked, and she at least tried to be civil with the question.

"She doesn't have a phone," he answered, distracted by the email; it seems Kyan and Kaia wanted to meet with him before the coronation.

"How in Auradon..." Audrey muttered, brow creased.

Ben chuckled as he sent a response. "She refused my offer to get her one, too." His mood sobered, and he cleared his throat. "It's, it's a tough transition, from the island to the mainland."

"They don't have phones on the island?" she asked tentatively before making a face, as if she realized what a stupid question it was.

Ben decided not to comment on it. "They don't have much of anything," he said instead. "That's why I want to get the kids out of there. They don't deserve it."

"How do you know what the island is like?" Audrey asked. "Isn't anything to do with it forbidden?" A frown formed on her lips.

Uncomfortable, Ben spoke slowly, trying not to give too much away. "How do you think I got clearance to bring them over to the mainland? I had to go through so many processes, and that included talking with Yen Sid and having council with the Fairy Godmother."

He didn't need to tell her he researched the living conditions on the island, that he found out that none of the propositions put forth to maintain and sustain the island and its inhabitants ever took place, that all the island received was Auradon's waste.

If she found that out, Audrey would have marched to the steps of the Auradon Castle to confront his father all by herself, and he couldn't let that happen.

Instead, he would correct everything once the crown lay officially on his head.

Audrey regarded him for a moment, eyes assessing in that way of hers. She sighed, soft and brief. "I should be going," she said, straightening out imaginary wrinkles in her skirt.

"I'm glad we spoke," Ben said, unable to stop the smile, as small and sad as it was.

Nodding, Audrey turned to leave, but she paused, deliberating. She bit her lip as she glanced over her shoulder. "And Ben? I'll talk to my parents about the betrothal." Audrey smiled, a brave face that would have convinced anyone else. "Trouble won't come from my end."

A shudder escaped Ben before he could stop himself, and he once again wished that things could have been different for them. "Still trying to protect me?" he asked softly, a piece of his heart breaking at how she hadn't told their parents of Ben's transgression, at how she still saw it fit to protect him even when he wronged her.

Audrey's expression crumbled for a brief moment, and she made quick work to cross the distance between them. "There's no trying here," she said as she hugged him, holding him just as tight as he held her. "You'd be lost without me, you big fool."

Ben laughed, quick and shaky, and he almost didn't want to let her go, but he knew he couldn't be selfish and a coward any longer. After taking a steadying breath, he pulled away from the embrace. "You're my best friend, Audrey, and I'm sorry I hurt you."

"Yeah, well, me too," she said as she brushed under her eyes. Huffing, she faced him with her usual coolness. "And this whole thing hasn't stopped me from caring about you, Ben. I just... I'm not entirely sold on the new company you keep," she said, wincing only a fraction.

"I promise you they're good people," Ben said, hoping that, one day, they could work out to be friends. "I know it's hard for you, but do you think you can give them a chance, at least?"

"I'll _try_ ," she offered, fidgeting once before taking a breath. "I do owe them that much."

Ben smiled; he knew how much she hated admitting to error, and the fact that she did as easily as that meant she knew what she did was truly wrong.

She took another breath. "And I do owe them an apology," she said, trying for flippant and not exactly succeeding. She cleared her throat. "Especially Evie."

Her words, her admission, caused a wave of warmth to overtake Ben, and in his relief and happiness, he pulled her into a hug, holding her close.

"Let go this instant," she said, tone trying to be stern to cover up her huff of amusement. Despite her words, she hugged him just as close. "I've never met someone as hug addicted as you," she said once Ben pulled away.

"Thank you, Audrey," he said, heartfelt, as he held her hands.

"I shouldn't be thanked, Ben," she said, her look pointed as she glanced at him.

He nodded, understanding her meaning and grateful she understood the gravity of her actions. "Then thank you for still being my friend," he said quietly, smiling softly.

She huffed. "I will take your thanks for that, you insufferable sap." The corner of her mouth quirked upward, causing Ben to laugh. As a fuller smile settled on her lips, she squeezed his hands. "I really do have to go," she said, just barely sighing. "We'll actually talk during classes tomorrow," she added, giving his hands another squeeze before she let go.

"Looking forward to it," Ben said honestly; it was lonelier without her.

With a nod, Audrey gave him a little curtsy, like she used to do when they were children, and before anything else could be spoken, she turned on her heel and headed for the library.

Ben watched her leave, heart aching in that distant way it did whenever he thought about her. Still, he was glad they had their conversation. With a sigh, he turned around.

And came face to face with Carlos.

"Carlos," he said in surprise, "what brings you here?" Ben had rarely seen Carlos by himself, and the way Carlos stared at him, openly studying with that blank face of his, began to worry Ben. Had something happened?

"Ben," Carlos began, tone odd, eyes still critical, "kiss me."

Ben blinked. "What?" he asked, incredulous for a moment, taken aback by Carlos' straightforwardness, by the cold demeanor he had assumed.

Unimpressed, Carlos spoke again, clear and slow as if he thought Ben were stupid. "Kiss. Me."

What's gotten into him all of the sudden, Ben thought, trying to comprehend the change in Carlos' behavior. "No," he said as gently as he could. Something didn't sit right.

Carlos' eyes narrowed. "No?" he echoed, and something like anger flashed across his features.

Ben didn't understand it.

"Carlos, no, it isn't what you want," he said, a little hurt that Carlos thought so little of him.

"How do you know what I want?" Carlos asked, guarded and cold.

"Do you think you're the only one who watches people?" Ben asked softly. "I see they way you act around anyone who isn't Mal, Jay, or Evie. You don't like people, Carlos, and that's okay. You shouldn't have to force yourself to be someone you're not or to do something you don't want."

Carlos remained silent for a few long moments, face blanker than a stone's.

Ben had never seen anything like it; it wasn't everyday that one of his peers, someone younger at that, unnerved him, but Carlos managed it with flying colors.

"Mal wants you to kiss me," Carlos said, that icy demeanor nowhere to be found; he looked like he always did. "And I wouldn't mind it if you did."

This feels like a trap, Ben thought, studying Carlos. At least, he tried to study. Nothing about Carlos now gave off anything that would indicate that he was ever upset with Ben, and he even tilted his head up a fraction, waiting on Ben's action. He stood before Ben now as a different person.

Too bad Ben had already seen the real Carlos.

Gently, deliberately, Ben reached up to frame Carlos' face, not missing the way he flinched a fraction, and Ben tried not to let Carlos' reaction deter him. "Carlos," he began softly as his thumb moved against his skin, marveling at all the freckles he saw, "I said I would strive to fail to meet your expectations." Ben smiled at Carlos' widening eyes, and he released his hold on Carlos. "And I'm not giving up on that."

He hoped he made the right decision, but he didn't know what else to do. Carlos was only ever comfortable with the other islanders, and Ben had observed that he was a great actor, that he could blend into the background easier than anyone else he'd ever seen. So it confused him, the suddenness of Carlos' request, the fact that Carlos would knock down all his walls just to demand a kiss from Ben, even if it were some kind of test.

But he still thinks you're under a spell, he thought, wondering if Carlos thought Ben wouldn't remember anything.

"You told me that on Halloween," Carlos said, face blank in a way that told Ben he was processing his own thoughts. "And you told me that after we won the championship."

"Yes, I did," Ben affirmed, wondering where Carlos was going with his statements. "I always strive to tell you the truth."

Carlos considered his words. "Just me?" he asked — though, judging by his expression, he already knew the answer.

"I already told Mal that I'd answer any question she had with honesty, and though I haven't explicitly stated it, the same goes for Jay and Evie."

Carlos blinked. "Give me a hug," he said, as if it were perfectly logical.

Ben blinked back. "Are you sure?" he asked, skeptical. Even if he had been more physical with Ben the last few weeks, Carlos still kept a good distance compared to the others, compared to _Mal_.

His eyes widening minutely, Carlos shook his head, and his gaze once again became critical, almost harshly so.

What's going on, Ben thought, unease forming in his gut. 

"When you were betrothed to Audrey," Carlos said, abrupt and firm, "were you in love with Mal?"

"I told you, didn't I?" Ben swallowed, a little ashamed. "I'm pretty sure I fell in love with Mal when I first met her."

"You told Jay you used to have a recurring nightmare of turning into a beast," Carlos said, eyebrow raised, challenging Ben to make a liar out of Jay.

I'm not even surprised Jay told him, he thought as he nodded. He'd also told Carlos — once upon a time, it seemed — that he envied the fact that Carlos and the others were true companions, and true companions wouldn't keep secrets from each other.

"Why did you have that nightmare?" Carlos asked.

Though he supposed he should have seen that coming, the question surprised Ben, and for a second, he found himself back in his father's study, feeling every bit a small boy as his father loomed over him, giving a lecture on the _proper_ way to rule a kingdom.

A shiver ran down his spine, shaking him out of his memories, and he looked at Carlos. Taking a breath, he answered. "I didn't want to become a king like him. I didn't want to rule in the way he taught me. The right thing to do was to get the kids off of the island, and I knew he wouldn't allow that, not without adding some kind of stipulations, which is why I did everything I could to get my proclamation out without his interference and influence."

"Did he do anything to you, Ben?" Carlos asked, his fierceness returning to his features. "After you sent out the proclamation, did he do anything to you?"

An odd mix of emotions bubbled inside of Ben's chest, freezing him on the spot as he stared into Carlos' bright eyes, as he took in his stony expression. He didn't know why he couldn't breathe. "Not," he began, swallowing when his throat was too dry to speak, "not to me."

Carlos' eyes narrowed, expression growing sterner. "Explain."

"I already told you," he said, his heart beating faster for some reason. "He was angry that I dictated and sent it out without his oversight."

"What did he do, Ben," Carlos said, more demand than question, and he actually stepped into Ben's space.

For a brief moment, Ben found himself back in his childhood, clutching a book so hard his knuckles were white as he tried to block out the guttural yells coming from down the hallway. Blinking, he focused on Carlos, on answering his question. "He lost his temper and tore apart two rooms in Auradon Castle."

Carlos didn't say anything.

Swallowing, Ben shrugged. "He's gotten better at controlling his temper, according to my mom and some of the staff, but sometimes he — He never takes anything out on me or my mom. Or anybody really. He just, you know, destroys things sometimes."

He couldn't help but fidget under Carlos' unreadable gaze. Why hasn't he said anything, he thought, unable to figure it out. It wasn't like Ben had a huge problem; it was barely a problem at all, compared to life on the island. And it didn't happen so often that it would be considered concerning, so why was Carlos looking at him like that?

Frowning, Carlos moved, abrupt and quick, grabbing Ben's hand and _pulling_ as he turned on his heel and made for the dormitories.

Ben, too dumbstruck at the assertiveness, followed Carlos without comment.

Carlos, apparently, didn't care that he was being less than subtle, that he was attracting stares as he dragged Ben behind him.

Instead of leading them to his own room, Carlos led them to the girls' room, taking the stairs two steps at a time, barely slowing down when Ben faltered.

By the time they made it to the door, Ben felt like his arm might be out of socket due to Carlos' firm grip.

Carlos reached for the knob, but he paused, a frown on his face, and he clearly deliberated with something before blowing out a breath and knocking. "It's me, and I've got Ben," Carlos called, his hand squeezing Ben's.

Idly, Ben wondered if Carlos were doing it consciously.

It only took a few moments for the door to open, revealing Evie's beautiful face, confusion in her expression.

Before Ben could utter a greeting, Carlos dragged him inside, motioning for Evie to close the door. A quick scan of the room told him Mal wasn't present, though Jay sat on her bed.

"Where's Mal?" Carlos asked, a frown on his face.

"Lonnie wanted to show her something," Evie said, brow creased as she moved from the door to Jay's side as he scooted to the edge of the bed.

"What's going on?" Jay asked, eyes drifting to Ben's hand in Carlos'.

Carlos tugged on Ben's hand, making him step forward, and he finally released his hold on him. "Hug him," he said.

Ben blinked, caught off guard as much as Jay and Evie were.

"Wanna say that again," Jay said, licking his bottom lip as his gaze moved from Carlos to Ben and back.

"Hug him," Carlos repeated. "You're better at that than I am, so do it."

"Not that I wouldn't mind, but why are you telling us to hug him?" Evie asked, pleasant enough, but the way she glanced between Ben and Carlos gave away her trepidation.

"Ask him what his old man did after he sent out his proclamation," Carlos said, tone leaving no room for argument.

Immediately, the atmosphere in the room changed.

Swallowing, Ben held up his hands, no longer able to stay silent. "Now, wait, guys, it isn't that—"

"Ben," Carlos cut in, and never had he been so authoritative before, "you said you wouldn't lie to us."

"That's right," Ben said, heart racing again, "but it isn't that bad." He wanted to make Carlos see. After all, Carlos should know for a fact that Ben's so-called problem wasn't much of a problem at all.

"Ben," Jay began, tone bland but expression barely concealing his emotions, "what did he do?"

No fair, Ben thought, unable to stay silent now that _Jay_ asked him, but still ashamed that he even had to talk about it, _especially_ with Jay.

Taking a breath, Ben said, "He lost his temper and tore apart two rooms in Auradon Castle."

Evie stepped close, reaching for his hands, her brow creased with worry, with anger.

Ben didn't get it. He cleared his throat. "But, like I told Carlos, he's gotten better at controlling his temper, and it isn't like he loses it all the time; it barely happens, and he doesn't take it out on people, certainly not my mom or me. He just, you know, destroys things—"

The words caught in his throat as Jay pulled him close. Ben blinked; he didn't even register the movement until it was too late, until he was securely wrapped in Jay's arms.

Evie closed in as well, wrapping them both in her arms, and it only made Ben stiffen further.

He didn't deserve this.

"Guys...?" Ben said, even though he had no idea what he would say, and he couldn't say anything because Jay only held him closer, tighter.

The door opened, drawing his attention, and he was thankful for the distraction.

Until he realized that Mal had entered the room, her eyebrow raised as she observed the scene.

"Care to enlighten me on what's happening here," she said to Carlos as she moved to his side, eyes never leaving Ben. "And why was the door spelled?"

Carlos made a face, but his gaze, too, never left Ben. "Who spelled it?"

Huffing, Mal gestured to them. "Felt like Jay's, which makes this situation all the more intriguing."

Swallowing, Ben spoke, hoping Mal could put an end to this. "Uh, Mal? Do you think you can get them to stop?"

Mal's eyebrows rose in surprise before suspicion settled on her features, and she moved closer, snapping her fingers.

The noise had Evie and Jay releasing their hold on Ben, however slow it was, and he immediately let out a relieved breath.

"Now," Mal said, looking at each of them, "what's going on?"

"Mal," Ben began, trying to share his side of the story before the others, before anything else got out of hand, "really, it isn't—"

"It's his old man," Jay said, arms crossed over his chest, jaw flexing as he held Mal's gaze.

"Jay," Ben said, half on a sigh.

"Silence, all of you," Mal said, face blank but tone commanding. She waited a moment, daring any of them to speak out of turn, before her gaze flickered to Evie. "Evie, explain."

"When King Adam loses his temper, he destroys entire rooms within Auradon Castle," Evie said, perfectly composed except for the twitch of her eyebrows.

Mal's gaze cut so sharply to Ben that it might as well have been physical.

"He's never touched me," Ben said quickly. "It isn't as bad as you're making it." He didn't know why they were so focused on this. It wasn't a problem.

Eyebrow quirked, Mal took a step closer. "No?" she drawled, both her tone and gleam to her eyes dangerous. "Let's just see about that. Evie, mirror," she commanded.

Ben's stomach dropped.

Evie, poised and confident, walked to the floor length mirror of their dorm.

"Wait," Ben said, throat so tight it barely came out as a whisper.

" _Come to me now, spirit of the magic mirror_ ," Evie said as she held an arm out to the mirror, the surface rippling from where she touched it.

Panic welled up inside of Ben, and he took a step forward. "I'm asking you, as a friend, to please stop," he said, unashamed of the plea laced in his words.

Evie paused, her gaze traveling from Ben to Mal.

"As a friend," Mal repeated, stare intense and face almost cruelly blank. "I think, based on that, we should continue."

"Mal," Ben whispered, hurt, and he looked at Evie, hoping she would remove her hand.

Silence lingered in the room, the mirror's surface still rippling from Evie's touch, the tension building as Jay and Carlos glanced from Evie to Ben and back, as Mal stared at Evie.

Please, Ben thought, begged, hoped.

Taking in a breath, Evie faced him, her expression unreadable. "I'm sorry, Ben," she said, calm, collected, firm.

No, he thought, stomach dropping further as he watched her turn to the mirror.

" _Show me the last time King Adam lost his temper_ ," Evie said, clear and demanding, and she stepped back as the mirror's surface smoothed.

Why, was all Ben could think as he stared at the floor, the blood rushing in his ears almost enough to drown out the primal roar of outrage, almost enough to cancel out the glass shattering and the wood cracking, almost enough to distract him from the fact that his palms had begun to sweat.

The mirror's vision lasted a lifetime, to Ben, and he remembered it so well, remembered being back in his room, standing rigid and still as stone, ignoring the way his mother had closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, the small apple cake — his favorite, a treat that was saved for his birthday — shaking in her hands so bad that the candles were no longer lit, the both of them listening silently to his father wrecking the room across from Ben's.

He closed his eyes as the rampage stopped, hoping they would stop the vision before—

_"You will undo this, Ben, or so help me—!" his father had all but snarled as he entered the room, stalking to Ben and looming._

Ben kept his eyes closed, refusing to look within the mirror. He didn't need to see it; his mind supplied a vivid picture of his memory.

_"I-it's been sent off already," the Ben of the mirror had replied, trying so hard to be confident, to be the brave boy he knew he wasn't. "My proclamation will be carried out, dad."_

_Another roar of rage, more terrifying up close, and his father raised his hand._

Ben suppressed a wince. He remembered staring at that hand, thinking for one horrible moment that his father would actually strike him, and he remembered freezing, remembered regretting the proclamation so absolutely in that one moment.

The memory, his lack of conviction, filled him with shame.

He heard someone in the room give a sharp intake of breath at his father's raised hand, and though he was briefly tempted to open them, Ben's eyes remained closed.

Because he already knew the outcome. He already knew that his father would turn in the last minute to bring his hand down on the table that used to always be in Ben's room, a gift from his grandfather, the force so great that the wood cracked and shattered, sending everything on it to the floor in a broken mess.

The memory still made Ben wince, and hearing it so fresh and close only made his chest tighten.

_"You've made a stupid mistake, Ben," his father had said, voice low, menacing, "and for what?" The look of absolute disgust his father wore had pierced Ben, and before he could utter any kind of response, his father had left his room, footfalls heavy with anger._

A heavy silence settled in the room, and Ben took a breath as he chanced opening his eyes.

He wished he hadn't.

Because in the mirror now was his mother's face, the smile she tried to offer him trembling and wet, her gaze resolutely on Ben and not the table her father had made before he died.

It had taken everything he had to not show emotion as she'd uttered a soft happy birthday before leaving him alone in his room, and seeing it now played back somehow hurt more than it had when he experienced it firsthand.

" _Enough_ ," Evie said to the mirror, and once the surface cleared, she turned to Ben, expression no longer unreadable; in fact, it was the opposite. "Ben," she began, reeking of concern.

"No," he said, voice hoarser than he intended. He cleared his throat. "I asked you not to," he tried again, relieved that his voice was much more steady, more firm, "and you did it anyway."

"It needed to be done," Carlos said quietly, eyes so bright, expression so serious.

"No, it didn't," Ben said, feeling too faraway. "What did this accomplish?" It didn't accomplish anything.

Why did they do it? What did they want? Did they want to see Ben's weakness, his ridiculousness? Did they want to know that his problems paled in comparison to theirs?

"It showed us what you went through," Jay said, his face, too, reeking of concern, of _empathy_.

An incredulous huff escaped him before he could control it. "What does that matter? It isn't as big a problem as you're making it." He took a steadying breath, still trying to understand their thought process but falling short. "I don't know why you felt the need to bring this up. It doesn't affect you one way or the other right?"

It came out a little harsher than he intended, but really, what was their goal with this?

"This isn't about us," Mal said, eyes narrowed. "This is about you, Ben."

Chest tightening so much that it felt like something within him cracked, Ben had enough, and the floodgates he'd done his best to keep securely locked burst open.

"No, it's always been about me! I grew up in a well maintained castle filled with servants who waited on me hand and foot for the simplest things. I had access to clean water and healthy food. Never in my life had I had to fight to survive. Yes, once or twice a year, my dad would lose his temper, but you know what happened on the other days of the year? He'd taught me sports and how to ride a bike. He'd hugged me and tucked me in at night. He told me that he loved me. I spent holidays with family and friends. I was never without anything!"

He didn't know what came over him; he hated talking about his privilege, hated that he had it at all, hated how whiny he was, but he needed them to understand, needed them to see: he didn't deserve their sympathy or compassion; it was wasted on him.

"Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that my life has been hard in comparison to those living on the island?" he asked them, knowing that they heard his unspoken _than yours_.

They stared at him, frowns on Mal and Carlos' faces, concern on Evie and Jay's. None of them said a word.

"You can't. And I know that. And that's why I wanted to send out my proclamation, that's why I wanted to help you. Because I care about you, about all of you. You all deserve everything I've ever had and more, and you definitely didn't deserve to live on that piece of rock. That island shouldn't have been made in the first place. And I'm trying to correct that."

It might have started due to guilt, but now it was more than that — so much more. "I just want the world for each of you," he said softly, and it was the truth, was a core part of him now, even if they insisted on making a big deal out of his father's temper.

He didn't know if they would ever believe him, but he figured he should give them time to think on his words — and give himself time to recuperate from being forced to relive a memory he'd rather forget — so he inclined his head and turned to leave.

"I didn't say you could leave," Mal said, tone and face impassive.

And Ben froze.

She doesn't love you; it was just a spell, a prank, a trick, a little voice whispered inside his mind.

He knew, deep down he knew, but it hurt nonetheless. Turning around, Ben tried to keep his hurt in check. He had agreed to stay in the ruse, and truthfully, he deserved it, deserved whatever punishment or humiliation Mal and the others bestowed upon him. But, God, did it hurt.

"You shouldn't give orders to people who care about you," he murmured, voice quiet because he didn't trust himself to speak louder; he didn't even trust himself to look Mal in the eye.

And Carlos doesn't think I'm a coward, Ben thought, swallowing down the lump in his throat, trying to swallow down the beginnings of tears. He was being ridiculous; he had no right to cry.

He had no right to cry in front of them.

The silence surrounding them practically suffocated him, but Ben stayed where he stood, forcing himself as still as could be, awaiting further instruction.

A chime from his phone broke the stifling quiet of the room, and Ben reached into his pocket automatically, pulling out the device and peering at the screen.

"What is it?" Evie asked quietly.

Locking the screen, Ben pocketed his phone. "A reminder for a council meeting in an hour," he said, still unable to bring himself to make eye contact.

"Go," Mal said, quiet and soft.

It surprised Ben, and he found himself glancing up in reflex. "What?" he asked dumbly.

Mal's expression didn't change, face still carefully blank, but she swallowed, nostrils flaring. "Go," she said again, still soft despite her voice rising in volume by a fraction. Her bottom lip trembled, so faint that it might have been a trick of the light.

Or of the mind, Ben thought as he nodded, heart feeling as though it was being constricted. "Have a good evening," he said, inclining his head again before turning. 

His legs had never felt so heavy as he left the room.

—

Ben stared up at the night sky, counting the stars and trying not to feel sorry for himself.

Which was stupid. He had no right to feel the way he did when he was the one to blow things out of proportion, to whine about his trivial problems, to gloat about his _privilege_ , to rub it into their faces.

He was such a jerk.

If he couldn't sort out his own mind, his own heart, how could he be king?

And that was the worst, wasn't it? Knowing that he wouldn't be the leader all of Auradon needed, that he'd fail entire kingdoms full of people. How could he be chosen to lead when there were so many of his peers that would make better rulers, better leaders than he would?

Mal's words of _why didn't you refuse_ echoed in his mind, and Ben closed his eyes, frowning. Why hadn't he refused? Just because he wanted to be better — a better king than his father, a better king for Auradon, a better person — didn't mean he would be good for Auradon; it didn't even mean he would be a decent king at all.

Just because he wanted to do good didn't mean he had it in him to succeed on the throne.

His father had wanted to do good, and the island was created.

What was to say that Ben's version of goodness was any better than his father's? What if Ben's version of goodness led to a worse outcome than that damn island?

What if Ben weren't all that different from his father?

In council meetings, he came frighteningly close to losing his temper. In one on one meetings with different councillors and emissaries and even royalty, he not only came close to losing his temper, he felt annoyance, felt boredom, felt drained.

What was he even doing anymore?

"Hey," came a voice, soft and musical and hesitant.

Turning his head, Ben opened his eyes, watching Evie make her way to him. "Good evening, Evie," he said, polite despite the sigh that wanted to escape his mouth.

He didn't deserve to be in her presence, not after his little outburst.

"Good evening, Ben," she greeted as she sat down beside him. Though she was expressionless, there was nothing about her bearing that spoke of tension or ill-will.

Even though she has the right to be upset with me, he thought, and he pulled himself up, scooting away from her a little. "How'd you know I'd be here?" he asked as he faced her.

"My magic mirror is very convenient," Evie said, a half smile on her face as she shrugged.

Chuckling, Ben nodded. He should have known that. "Guess I'd never be able to hide from you," he said quietly. Oddly, he found himself not minding the fact.

Someone had to keep him accountable.

"Guess not," she murmured, studying Ben almost leisurely, as if the action were only an afterthought. "How are you?"

"Feeling like an idiot," Ben said with a wry smile. "What brings you here?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You," Evie said, like his question was the dumbest.

Ben frowned. "Me?"

Brow furrowed, Evie nodded. "After what happened in Mal's room, I wanted to check on you." Her expression turned concerned as she looked him over.

Swallowing, Ben shook his head, the sinking feeling returning to his stomach. "You didn't need to, Evie. I made a fool of myself, that's all."

Silence settled over them as Evie looked at him, blinking here and there, clearly deliberating, and Ben grew nervous for a reason that escaped him, doing his best not to fidget under her gaze.

"You know, Ben," Evie began, looking up at the starry sky, "what you said was true." She glanced at him. "You had a better life than we did."

Her words, the lack of judgment in her expression, made Ben's stomach churn. "Evie, I—"

"But I came up here to say you were also wrong," Evie said, interrupting him, her tone definitive.

Ben blinked. "What?"

Frowning, Evie said, her words firm and clear, "Your father's temper is a problem."

"Evie," Ben said on a sigh, exhaustion creeping up on him.

"Do I have to use my mirror again?" Evie asked, abrupt and stern. "Because I think you need to see yourself reacting to your father."

Ben paled. "Why, why would I need—"

"Because it's the same look Carlos had whenever Cruella showed up unannounced. Because it's the same body language Jay had whenever Jafar got too close. Because it's the same closed off expression Mal had whenever Maleficent smiled." She paused, took an almost indiscernible breath, and continued, voice quieter than before. "And because I bet your heart raced like mine did whenever my mother's stare lingered on me."

There were no words Ben could say, and he stared at Evie, half in awe and half ashamed. Why did she feel the need to tell him those things? What had he done to prove himself worthy of that kind of trust?

"Like it's racing now just from the memory of it," Evie whispered, a tentative hand reaching for Ben, settling over his heart, and she looked him in the eye when she found it beating faster than it should.

"Evie..." Ben swallowed, willing his hand steady as he covered Evie's, as he pulled her hand away from his heart. "It, it isn't the same. Has your mother ever told you she loved you?"

Ben winced; the question was such a low blow, so much so that he wished he could take it back.

Evie said nothing, merely studied their hands for a few moments, seconds passing so slowly before she turned her hand in his, lacing their fingers. "If I said she had, would it lessen anything?" she asked, glancing up at him through her lashes, tone and expression unoffended. "Or would it make things worse?"

Her words pierced him, and he truly had no answer for her. Even if he had, his throat was too dry to form it.

"Ben," she said softly, giving his hand a squeeze, bringing him out of his thoughts. "I could never know the life you've led, just as you could never know about ours, but growing up how we did... We can recognize certain things." And her eyes were so sad after she spoke, as she brought their hands to her mouth, kissing his knuckles.

"I guess that's why you guys warmed to me so easily," Ben said quietly, unable to help himself, and he immediately cursed his brain-to-mouth filter for once again malfunctioning.

Evie only laughed. "Mal didn't warm up to me when we first met," she said, fondness in her voice and expression as she stared up at the stars, evidently getting lost in her memories. She sobered, though, after a few moments, and she turned to Ben. "She made a snap judgment, just like we made one with you."

"Something's obviously changed for you two, though," he said, Evie's relationship with Mal bringing a small smile to his lips, even now. "I don't think anything's changed with me." And he couldn't fault any of them for that; he knew where he stood with them.

Now if only he could get his heart to realize it as well.

"It has," Evie said, adamant as she brought their hands to her chest, as she held Ben's close. "It changed the day you read your proclamation to us." She chuckled, a wry smile on her lips. "Or, at least, that's when the change began."

The way Evie smiled at him, soft and affectionate, made Ben's chest flutter, a sensation at odds with the way his stomach still churned. He took a breath, unable to stop the shudder running through him as he exhaled. "Evie... Why are you here?"

"I'm here because I know," Evie said softly, her eyes gleaming. "Ben, my mother might not have had servants like she used to, but she kept me in that castle of hers, all to herself, for four years. And even before that, she gave me lecture after lecture, lesson after lesson, on what it meant to be royal, to be a lady, to be subservient. I know what pressure you were under."

Four years all alone with an overbearing parent, and overbearing was probably an understatement, he thought, shivering at the notion. He had known, somewhere in the back of his mind, that Evie had endured pressure, given how she fretted over little things, how she went through extra measures to make sure her appearance pleased, that she looked poised and seemed demure, how she denied her intelligence.

Evie had known pressure, perhaps far better than Ben did himself, and that knowledge only made him regret his outburst even more, made even more unworthy to be in Evie's presence.

"The others wanted to come up here, too," Evie said into the silence, glancing up at the sky again.

The words surprised him. "They did?"

"Yeah, they did." She smiled, but it was brief. "But the concern was it would be too much like pushing."

"Why should that matter?"

She glanced at him, brow creased. "We can push each other, if the situation calls for it, because we know each other's limits. We don't know yours." She hesitated, the corners of her mouth twitching downward. "And you looked past your point in Mal's room."

"Evie," Ben said, that selfish part of him touched that they were so concerned with his feelings. "None of you owe me anything."

"You don't owe us anything," Evie countered.

"Yes, I—"

"Your father owes us," Evie cut in, adamant, "not you."

"Your king owes you," Ben corrected gently. "Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, the Isle of the Lost falls under Auradon's borders, and so far, the Crown has done a terrible job of maintaining, supporting, and observing it. I aim to correct that."

Evie stared at him, studying, expression softer and not as critical as Carlos' had been.

"Evie?" Ben prompted.

"Carlos told me what you said," Evie said, "about Chad and me, after the championship game."

Ben winced. "I'm sorry, I didn't think."

"It's okay," Evie said with a small smile. "It never really was about him as a person." She stared at the floor, her smile fading. "I think I knew, deep down, that he would never care about me."

"Then why did you pursue him?" Ben didn't understand it.

Evie shrugged. "All my life, my mother told me I needed to marry a prince. Who he was or how he treated me didn't matter, only his title. Chad was single, so I pursued."

"But you deserve so much more than that, Evie," Ben said, heart breaking at the image of Evie in a loveless marriage.

"So the world keeps telling me," she said, a wry smile on her lips.

"Mal and the others?" Ben guessed.

"They're my world," Evie said softly. "I don't know what I did to deserve them, and I honestly don't know what I'd do without them."

"I'm glad you found them, Evie," Ben said, even as his chest tightened; he _was_ happy for her, for them, but there was a selfish part of him that was envious. "I'm glad they support you."

"I'm glad you found us, Ben," she returned, smiling as she scooted closer, as she leaned against Ben, her head resting on his shoulder.

Swallowing, Ben glanced down at her. "Evie?"

He had found them by mistake, by chance, by an invasion of privacy, and it seemed he only caused them trouble.

Evie shivered. "If you hadn't," she began, her voice trembling. "I don't know what would have happened..." She let the sentence trail, her breath hitching, and she covered her mouth, the slightest hint of a gasp muffled.

"Evie," Ben said, alarmed, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as if on autopilot. "I'm always here for you, for all of you." He held her close.

"I know," she breathed out, leaning into him, "and that's why I want you to know that you could be part of my world." She reached for his free hand, once again lacing their fingers. "In fact, you might be there already."

Heart skipping a beat, Ben swallowed. "But..." He stopped himself, not wanting to put his foot in his mouth yet again.

"But?" she prompted.

"I haven't done anything," he said quietly.

"You've done more than you know, I guess," Evie said, glancing up at him with a small smile, "because you've done wonders, Ben. And not just for me."

"Wait," Ben began, stomach fluttering, because he might have done something for Evie, but he was definitely unsure about the others.

Evie shushed him, and she leaned back, taking Ben with her so that they were now lying down. "Don't you think I know them?" she asked, the glint to her eyes telling Ben she knew what he was going to say. "Don't you think I can read and interpret their expressions or predict their thoughts?" She paused, giving him time to debate, but it was clear to both of them that he had no argument against her. "No one is going to understand them better than I do, just as no one will understand me better than they do." She smiled. "Except maybe you."

"That can't be right. You guys leave me confused all the time," he said, and the admission didn't even embarrass him.

Evie laughed, unashamed. "We don't mean to. But even if you say that, there have been times when you say or do just the right thing. You're closer to reading us than you think."

"Really?" Her words honestly surprised him; he never felt surefooted when with them, felt like his gestures were more of a burden than anything else.

"If you can win over Carlos, you've pretty much made it." Evie chuckled. "And you did win him over, beginning on Halloween."

"And you know this for sure?" he asked quietly.

Nodding, Evie leaned against him, letting out a content sigh. "We're very open with each other," she said. "We know each other's comforts and pains. It's how we operate." She paused, swallowing. "Which is why I went through with my question to the mirror."

Suppressing a shiver, Ben asked, "What do you mean?"

"I know the comforts and pains of my world," she repeated, voice a whisper as she squeezed his hand, "and you're becoming part of that."

Ben could only stare at Evie as she smiled up at him, her warmth and kindness taking his breath away.

"But I do apologize for pushing past your limits," she continued, apologetic as she reached up, her hand caressing his cheek. "I shouldn't have asked the mirror without knowing them. It took me nearly two years to learn Mal's and the boys' limits; I should have realized that a month and a half wouldn't cut it for you."

Clearing his throat, Ben shrugged. "I'm a simple guy."

Chuckling, Evie shook her head. "Not to us. We never knew how to read you," she confessed, smoothing his hair out of his face. "It tripped all of us up more than once."

"I find that hard to believe," he whispered.

Evie smiled. "It's the truth. Why do you think Mal and Carlos gave you a hard time at first? Why do you think Jay was so... off?"

It does make sense a little, he thought, even though he still didn't quite believe it. "And now?"

"And now..." Evie echoed, her voice trailing as her expression sobered. "And now we know why we couldn't read you properly."

"Why was that?" he asked, already knowing he wouldn't like the answer.

Propping herself on her elbow, Evie glanced down at Ben, her fingers tracing the side of his face. "You made it seem like you didn't have any problems, and because this is Auradon, we believed it."

"We're talking in circles," Ben said as he sat up, gently moving from her, his stomach churning once more.

"Only because you won't admit it," Evie said, sitting up as well, "but that's fine, I guess. This is Auradon, so you can probably get away with denying your problems."

Why won't she let this go, he thought as he ran his hand through his hair. He held in a sigh, though, because he couldn't be mad with her. "There's nothing to deny because there's no problem."

"Whose table was it?" Evie asked.

"What," Ben said flatly.

"The one your father broke," Evie clarified, stare intense. "Whose table was it?"

Ben concentrated on swallowing down the lump in his throat. "Mine," he said, proud how it was above a whisper.

Evie's gaze pierced him. "Who gave it to you?"

"My grandfather..."

Gaze softening, Evie took his hands in hers. "Your father destroyed something your late grandfather gave you. That's a problem."

"How, how did you know he died," Ben whispered.

"The library has obituary listings," Evie said, tone as gentle as her thumb brushing the skin of Ben's hand.

"Evie, I..." What could he say? What could he say that would make this topic go away?

Evie looked at him, concern plain, but she took a breath as she gave a curt nod, more to herself than anything. "I won't push you, Ben. None of us will. But you do need to think on it." She rose to her feet, not bothering to straighten out her skirt, and she looked at him, a small, soft smile on her lips. "It isn't a contest, Ben. We've never looked at each other with that mindset, and we're not looking at you like that either. A problem is a problem, no matter who you are."

Ben stared up at her, words caught in his throat, his heart racing, and yet all he could think about was the fact that Evie, standing before him outlined by the starry sky, put those stars to shame.

That soft smile still on her lips, Evie leaned down, smoothing back his hair as she placed a kiss on his forehead. "Please think about it, Ben. We can be here for you, too, if you need us."

The only thing Ben could do was nod, his voice still lost to him, and he watched Evie's smile brighten.

"Good night, Ben," she said softly, her hand running through his hair. "Don't stay out here too long, okay?"

Again, Ben nodded, and seeing how he considered it rude not to say anything, especially since Evie had been nothing but a sweetheart, he cleared his throat. "Good night, Evie."

Smiling, Evie gave him a small curtsy, much more relaxed than the others she gave him, and after she inclined her head, she walked to the door.

Ben watched her leave, his head swimming and his heart oddly calm. A breeze picked up, and he shivered. Maybe I should go back, he thought, both because he was growing tired and because he didn't want to disappoint Evie further.

With a sigh, Ben stood and stretched, giving the sky one last glance before heading back to his dorm.

—

Ben stood in the middle of his room, an odd combination of relief and numbness surrounding him as he stared at nothing.

He had never felt this way before, never felt as emotionally drained as he did now, not even after his initial council summit, and all he could think about was the fact that he was so weak and undeserving of Evie's softness, of her understanding.

(Nearly every night, before he finally let sleep take him, Ben always struggled with the fact that he had no right to even be in their presence, a guilt that ate at him in the late hours of the night.)

Sighing, Ben ran his hands down his face. Today was such a mess, and he couldn't believe he let things get so out of hand, couldn't believe he was the cause of _their_ concern. Their expressions — Carlos' quiet intensity, Mal's stony resolve, Evie's vibrant compassion, _Jay_ — he never wanted to be the cause of their worry, their concern, and yet he just added more stress to their lives.

Why couldn't he be better?

A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts, making him frown. Who on Earth would visit this late... or at all, he thought as he made his way to the door, taking a breath to center himself before opening it.

Jay stood before him, shoulders hunched and eyes downcast, fidgeting in the doorway and fiddling with one of his fingers, as if he were turning an invisible ring he wore.

Blinking, he gestured for Jay to enter, watching as he did so with that same nervous energy. "What can I do for you, Jay?" Ben asked softly. Idly, he wondered what he did this time to make Jay uncomfortable around him.

He needed to find a way to stop doing that.

Swallowing, Jay looked up, looked Ben in the eye. "I'm sorry," he said, tone firm and voice steady. Though he no longer fidgeted, his hands still moved.

Taken aback, Ben could only stare at Jay in bewilderment. "For what," he said without thought, his surprise cutting into his brain-to-mouth filter, but really, he had no idea what Jay could have done that would warrant an apology, especially to Ben.

Jay faltered a little, but he took a breath and continued. "For pushing you against the tree that time," he said, wincing mid-sentence, "for acting like your old man."

Jay's words made Ben freeze, gut tightening for a moment — but not at the memory; Ben remembered that day clearly. No, instead, his gut twisted at the thought of Jay thinking he had acted like his father. "Jay, you weren't—"

"Please," Jay cut in, unamused. He swallowed. "I lost my temper _and_ threatened to beat you."

Ben stared at Jay. "Jay, you didn't remind me of my father," he said evenly, despite the fact that the very notion was ridiculous to Ben; he didn't understand the logic behind Jay's words.

Jay stared at Ben. "You're not this good a liar," he said slowly, studying Ben's face, uncertainty in his expression. 

"I'm a terrible liar," Ben said with a small smile. "Besides, I'd never lie to you."

(You're still lying by omission, a little voice whispered to him, and Ben tried not to let his shoulders sag. I promised to be honest with them; I promised to answer every question with the truth, he thought, reminding himself — or, at least, trying to — that he wasn't as wicked as that part of his mind believed.)

Jay raised an eyebrow, skeptical as he crossed his arms. "I'm not Mal."

"I know that," Ben said, heart clenching at the visible change in Jay, at the way he closed himself off. "You're Jay, and I like you just the way you are."

In fact, Ben wouldn't change anything about Jay, not even a hair on his head.

Jay stared at him, expression softening in his shock, mouth open slightly in disbelief, and it seemed like he wanted to move closer, his body twitching for a second, but he remained rooted to his spot, expression still surprised, still disbelieving. He swallowed. "Why didn't I remind you of him?" Jay whispered.

It took half a second for Ben to mentally shake himself out of the chill that wanted to creep its way down his back, but he focused on answering Jay's question. Because Jay deserved that much, at the very least.

"When my father loses his temper," Ben began, telling himself to breathe, that answering Jay was more important that his own stupid reactions, "he resembles a beast more than he ever did when he looked like one, you know, something wild and unrestrained, and no one, n-not even he himself, can control that temper. He just charges on until it dissipates." Ben paused, partly because he needed a breather, partly because he was unsure if he should continue.

The way Jay had sobered as Ben spoke gave him resolve.

"I don't consider what you did that day as losing your temper," Ben continued, searching Jay's face, wondering if he could talk about this so openly. When all his words garnered was a crease to Jay's brow, he clarified. "You sounded a little angry, sure, but you looked more scared than anything. You didn't look like a monster; you looked lost and lonely." Ben moved closer to Jay, slow and easy, willing to back away if Jay became uncomfortable, and when Jay let him near, Ben gently framed Jay's face with his hands. "Jay, you were _shaking_ , you were shaking with _fear_ , not anger." He offered Jay a smile, hoping his words were getting through. "There is no comparison between the two of you."

When his father lost his temper, all Ben wanted to do was hide and ignore it. When Jay lost his temper — which Ben still maintained wasn't the case — all Ben wanted to do was soothe and protect. There really was no comparison.

Jay stared at him, searched his eyes, his expression now so open and vulnerable, and that coupled with seeing Jay so still and unsure nearly broke Ben's heart.

And then Jay moved.

Ben's eyes widened as Jay brought their lips together, as Jay pulled Ben close, his hands moving up Ben's back, touch gentle and soft, laced with vague traces of desperation. Ben hadn't experienced anything quite like Jay's kiss, his touch, his warmth, his scent, even, and he found himself closing his eyes, found himself giving in, his own hands moving, caressing Jay's face and traveling to his hair at the back of his neck.

Until Jay, abrupt and rough, pulled away with a gasp, breathing heavy despite the kiss being chaste.

Ben blinked at him, frozen, still trying to get his brain back online, his own breath eluding him.

That had really happened.

"Fuck," Jay said, wide-eyed and flustered. " _Fuck_ , I shouldn't have done that." He took a step back.

"Jay," Ben began, surprised his voice was as steady as it came out. Damn, that was foolish, he thought, cursing himself for muddling things, for putting that expression on Jay's face.

"No, fuck, I'm sorry," Jay said, words running together in his panic as he moved away from Ben, moved toward the door, body language telling Ben that he was about to _run_.

Heart skipping a beat, Ben acted without thinking, grabbing hold of Jay's hand, keeping him within the room and by his side. "Jay, calm down, I'm not mad." I'm confused, yes, but I'm definitely not mad, at least not at you, he thought, hoping Jay wouldn't leave in the state he was in now, hoping that things could be explained.

Not that I _could_ explain things, he thought, embarrassed that he allowed a moment of weakness to overtake him, ashamed that he once again put his own wants over someone else's needs, over _Jay's_ needs.

Pausing, Jay remained where he was, but he still didn't face Ben. "I shouldn't have done that," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"It's _okay_ , Jay," Ben said softly, gently nudging his arm, wondering if Jay would turn to him. "You don't have to apologize." That should be my job, he thought.

"You don't know what you're saying," Jay said as he looked at him, face blank but eyes bright.

"I am not mad, I'm not even upset," Ben said, trying to assuage Jay, trying to make him see. "I mean, I will have to tell Mal because—"

"Shit," Jay muttered, trying to pull his hand out of Ben's. "I'm so fucked."

Ben frowned, squeezing Jay's hand as he pulled Jay closer, trying to ignore the wariness in his expression. "Jay, stop, nothing's going to happen," Ben said softly, and he dared to bring his free hand to Jay's face, dared to cup his cheek. "The reason I'm telling her is because I would have kissed you back if you hadn't stopped it," he continued, feeling his cheeks warm at the outright surprise on Jay's face at his words.

He didn't know what had come over him. First, he cheated on Audrey — and sure, there was a spell involved, but Ben was still weak enough to cheat — and now he cheated on Mal — and there was nothing that could be blamed for the circumstance; it was all Ben and his feelings for Jay — feelings he wasn't even sure of but knew were there.

How did this even happen, when did I become like this, he thought in dismay, wondering how Mal would react when he told her.

Jay closed his eyes, and he leaned into Ben's touch, despite the slight crease to his brow. "That's not exactly what you should say when you're standing so close to me." He opened his eyes, and though he wasn't smiling, he no longer looked so panicked and lost.

"I never said I was smart," Ben said, relieved that they were able to talk. "And I definitely don't want anything to be weird between us." He didn't think he'd be able to handle Jay suddenly ignoring him, suddenly giving him the cold shoulder, and it chilled him to even think about the possibility.

Jay raised his eyebrow. "I think things will always be weird between us," he said, but his tone lacked any heat, any judgment; he had merely spoken the words as if it were fact.

"Because we wouldn't mind kissing each other?" Ben guessed, and it surprised him how easy it was to say, how easy it was to _admit_ , but then, he had never really felt judged when with Jay, when with any of them — well, perhaps with Carlos, but Ben didn't fault him for it.

Blinking, Jay huffed, a trace of a smile on his lips. "I meant because of where we both come from, but sure, why not add that to the list."

Ben couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him; he was so relieved to see something like a smile on Jay, and he couldn't help but brush his thumb against Jay's cheek, glad that he hadn't ruined anything between them.

A short shudder overtook Jay, and he slowly took hold of Ben's wrist with his free hand, gently moving it away from his face. "I don't think you should do stuff like that," he began, slow and measured. "I'm not exactly great at self-control."

"I think you're pretty great," Ben said, knowing that his opinion probably meant nothing to Jay, but he still wanted it said, regardless; Jay deserved to know how great he was.

"And I still think you're weird as hell," Jay said with the beginnings of a grin.

A grin forming on his own lips, Ben raised an eyebrow. "And yet you still kissed me." He didn't know why he kept focusing on it, as it obviously made Jay uncomfortable, but a part of Ben couldn't believe that Jay would actually want to kiss him, not when he could be with anyone, with someone more interesting and better than Ben.

Groaning, Jay covered half his face. "Stop reminding me," he mumbled, clearly embarrassed as he peeked at Ben. 

"Now," came a voice from the doorway, startling them both, "why should he stop."

Jay froze, paling a fraction, as he turned to the doorway. "Mal..." he whispered, his whole body going slack.

Mal leaned against the doorframe, arms and legs crossed, and other than her eyebrow being quirked just a fraction, her expression remained neutral.

Mouth open, Jay had clearly wanted to speak, but no words left his mouth, and Ben couldn't take the sight of him once again panicked and lost.

So he stepped in front of Jay. And Ben never thought that he would ever need to shield him from Mal.

Mal's eyebrow rose higher, intrigue now painting her features as she studied Ben. "Something on your mind?" she asked.

"Jay did nothing wrong," Ben said, and he could _feel_ Jay tensing up behind him.

Jay cleared his throat. "Wait—" He closed his mouth with an audible click when Mal raised her hand, her focus on Ben.

Don't think I'll ever get used to that, Ben thought as he looked at Mal, still somehow surprised at the commanding presence she gave off and yet expecting nothing less.

"You said he kissed you," Mal said, her serene tone at odds with the gleam in her eyes.

Taking a breath, Ben spoke. "Jay might have kissed me, but he isn't to blame." When nothing changed in Mal's bearing, he continued, a blush rising on his cheeks, "Besides, I wanted to kiss him back."

Nothing happened for a long moment as Mal continued to stare at him, gaze assessing.

"Would you lie to me, Ben," Mal said softly, almost demure, but her eyes could burn.

"No," Ben said, wondering what was going through her head. Though, he supposed he couldn't fault her for asking that question as much as she had.

Nodding, she pushed herself off of the doorframe, closing the door before she took three steps into the room. "Why did you stand in front of him?" she asked, still calm, still unassuming.

That was, if Ben didn't know any better.

"I want to protect him," Ben said, feeling that the answer was lame when spoken to Mal.

Something flitted across Mal's face, but it was gone too quick for him to properly read it. "Do you think he needs protection?"

"Not when he has you and the others," Ben answered, not wanting her to think he thought they weren't great friends, "but I still want him to know that I'm ready and willing to be there for him, with any kind of support he needs."

Mal's gaze flickered over his shoulder, to Jay, for a short moment before her attention settled once again on Ben. "Do you think he's weak for needing protection?" she asked.

"Of course not," Ben said with a frown. "No one should have to be strong all the time. Leaning on someone else is natural; it's beneficial, even."

There were moments in his life where he would have cracked if it weren't for the support of others, of his mother and Audrey and Dr. Sweet and a few select others. He never wanted Jay or any of them to feel like they were alone.

Mal didn't nod, didn't raise an eyebrow, didn't do anything other than stare at him. "How long have you wanted to kiss Jay?"

"I don't know the answer to that question," Ben said, cheeks warming.

Mal blinked. "Why not?"

Cheeks growing hotter, Ben held Mal's gaze. "I'm not entirely sure when these feelings for Jay developed, or what they mean exactly, but I do know I have them." He licked his lips. "I know they're strong, but I can't really define them or tell you when I started feeling this way."

Despite his lame answer, Mal nodded, considering. "Do you want to kiss him again?"

Ben swallowed, cheeks way too hot for his comfort, but he did say he'd answer with the truth, and she had asked if he _wanted_ , not if he _would_. "Yes," he said, holding her gaze, "but only if he wants me to, and only if you don't mind it."

What an incredibly stupid thing to say, he thought, trying not to smack himself. How could he say that to Mal's _face_?

Mal said nothing to that, and she simply stared at him, expression pensive, but nothing malicious in her features. She took several steps toward him, closing the distance, and she cupped his chin. "And if I forbid you from kissing him again?"

"I wouldn't," he answered immediately, resolute.

Mal nodded, but that pensive expression was still present. She lifted his chin, her hold on him firm but not harsh. "But would you still _want_ to?"

And there was the damning question, and shame filled Ben as he swallowed, but he had promised her the truth, and so the truth he gave her. "Yes..."

When did he become like this? When did he become so wicked?

Silence lingered as Mal studied him, as she made him look into her eyes, face neutral but eyes bright. "Okay then," she said at length as she released him, glancing at Jay briefly before focusing back on Ben. "Better him than me." 

Wait, what, Ben thought as he blinked at Mal, watching her move past him, settling a hand on Jay's shoulder.

"Of course, I'm surprised he had it in him," she said as she traced his jaw with her finger.

"I didn't plan it, okay, I wasn't thinking," Jay mumbled, folding his arms in embarrassment. "Evie's gonna be pissed." He groaned, closing his eyes. "And, fuck, _Carlos_ ; he's gonna give me so much shit."

Snorting, Mal shrugged. "Not really. I think they've been waiting for this for a while now."

"I'm sorry," Ben said, unable to keep quiet for yet another conversation he shouldn't be listening to, "but am I understanding things correctly here..." He might be obtuse, but it's been a long day for him, and the exhaustion he felt both mentally and physically caught up with him in that moment.

They blinked at him, Jay confused and Mal expectant.

Okay, then, he thought as he took a breath. And then he paced, unable to hold in the urge.

Because he didn't understand it, and while he bore no ill-will to them, while he understood that there were things they wouldn't want to talk about with him, not being on stable ground so constantly began to frustrate him.

"Just... let me get this straight..." He held up his hand when Jay opened his mouth, knowing he had to get through this at least once before they interrupt him. "All four of you are attracted to me, either physically or romantically, in some way yet don't mind that Mal's the one dating me — Mal, who seems like she _doesn't_ want to date me. This isn't even going into the fact that, prior to the championship game, I was under the impression that Jay and Carlos were dating" — he nearly faltered when Jay sputtered — "and that Mal and Evie were dating."

Mal's expression never changed, and while it unnerved him, Ben couldn't stop talking.

"It's why I was so confused when Mal agreed to go out with me — confused but so happy. I genuinely thought that you guys didn't like me all that much, and I certainly never dreamed that we would ever get together," he continued, speaking directly to Mal now, and just thinking about that rejection hurt his heart, but he ploughed on. "But we did, and it's been great, it really has — I love spending time with you. But I get all these mixed signals. It's like you're sharing me with the others, but no one wants to admit that's what it is — or admit that that's what is wanted by all parties because you clearly are much more content to watch Jay or Evie be with me than you are being with me by yourself." He paused, blinking. "I mean, Carlos is a give or take, but I've learn he doesn't like people much to begin with, so I'm not offended. I'm just confused."

Both Mal and Jay remained silent, studying him, Mal's expression still blank, Jay's expression concerned.

"I can't help but think that this is all a game or an experiment, and I'm the one who's the lab rat," Ben said, refraining from sighing.

"You're overthinking it," Mal said quietly.

"Then can you teach me not to?" Ben asked. "Because I've never learned how to shut my brain up." He would love to turn off his thoughts for a while, would love to be able to just stop and stay still.

"I could teach you my method, but I think that would be taking advantage," Jay said, hands in his pockets.

Ben tried really hard to keep from blushing. Because he forgot about that for a moment. He cleared his throat, hyperaware of the fact that Mal's eyes were on him. "I just need to understand this," he said instead of addressing Jay's method, running a hand through his hair. "Then I think I'll be fine."

"It's just an arrangement," Mal said with a shrug.

Jay huffed, amusement plain on his face. "This is new. Weren't you the one with a billion questions about our arrangement at the start?"

"Funny," Mal said, lightly hitting Jay on the shoulder. Turning to Ben, she continued, "It's protection, Ben. It's solidarity. We protect and support each other."

Smiling, Ben nodded. "I understand that part."

A frown formed on both Mal and Jay's lips, and Mal's eyes narrowed. "If that's what you understand, then what's giving you issues?"

How do I say this without offending anyone, Ben thought, dismayed. "Why are you dating me when you clearly aren't as interested as Jay or Evie is?" he asked. "Is this some sort of test?"

Because who _did_ something like that? Who dated someone just because they want to see if they were right for their friends? Ben never heard of anything like it. Maybe that's what they do on the island, he thought, still puzzled by the notion.

Mal stared at him, unconcerned that Jay was now looking at her with worry, her jaw flexing just a bit the longer she held Ben's gaze.

"I'm sorry," Ben said. "You don't have to answer that." Stop putting your foot in your mouth, he thought.

"Yes," Mal said after a moment, swallowing quietly. "This is a test." She looked uncomfortable, but she kept his gaze.

Now that he had confirmation, Ben didn't know how he felt. Initially, he had thought the spell was a punishment, and now he wondered if that weren't far off. "What kind of test?" he asked quietly, growing tired. "Mal, what do you want of me?"

That clearly hadn't been the best thing to say because the question made Mal rigid, her eyes widening minutely, and it made Jay stare at the floor, a crease in his brow and a frown on his lips.

"What I want..." Mal began, voice steady but words slow, "is for you to keep acting like Ben."

Ben stared, heart beginning to race. "Mal..." He didn't have words.

"I don't want Evie to change," Mal continued, calm and measured despite the way she had swallowed before speaking, "I don't want Carlos to change, and I don't want Jay to change." She glanced at Jay, placed her hand on his shoulder once more. "I don't want to deny them anything, and I don't want them to deny themselves."

Ben watched as Jay took a deep breath as he covered Mal's hand with his own, nodding just a fraction.

Nodding to herself, Mal focused on Ben. "This is a test, Ben, but the test isn't for _you_ , per se." She tilted her head, deliberating for a moment. "This test is for them, for us; it's to see if we can have something that isn't broken or wretched or tainted, to see if we can keep it, if only for a little while."

Words were stuck in his throat, but even if they weren't, Ben doubted he could form any. What do you even say to that, he thought, heart clenching at the way they both looked, at Mal's somber expression, at Jay's downcast eyes.

"And you were right," Mal continued quietly, swallowing again. "I am sharing you, and not only because the others like you. I'm sharing you because that's what we've always done on the island. We find something we like, something that brings comfort or peace, and we share it." Averting her eyes for a brief second, Mal took a breath and held his gaze. "Finding things that make us smile is rare, so of course we want to share it. It's why you should keep acting like yourself; it makes us smile, and that's what I want."

Jay squeezed her hand again, expression turned soft, as Mal continued holding Ben's gaze, a kind of tension in her bearing.

"Can I hug you?" The question surprised him, but now that it was spoken, Ben realized that that was what he wanted to do more than anything. He wanted to ease Mal's mind, wanted that guarded expression to disappear. 

He wanted to apologize for bringing the topic up in the first place.

Mal searched his face. "Okay," she said, and she took a small step forward, curiosity in her features as she looked up at Ben.

Ben wrapped his arms around her, smiling a little when he felt her return the hug, and he let out a relieved breath when her shoulders loosened. It was a good fit, her in his arms. "Thank you," he murmured, giving her the briefest squeeze.

It was stupid of him, to thank her for calming him when he should be the one calming her.

But Mal didn't seem to mind, giving him a small smile as they pulled away from each other. She even reached up to flick his hair out of his eyes.

"So..." Ben began, debating on whether it was a good idea to ask now that both Mal and Jay were more relaxed. Still, he didn't want to misunderstand anything, so he took a breath and continued. "Am I still your boyfriend?"

"You're asking me if we're still an item?" Mal asked, the corner of her mouth twitching upward.

"Well... yes?" Ben could feel the blush rising, especially when they grinned at him. "I don't know what the protocol is for something like this."

Jay snorted. "You're asking the wrong person. The last time we tried to sort it all out, Mal didn't want to talk about anything."

Rolling her eyes, Mal shrugged. "It was needless at the time." She turned to Ben. "We can talk about it later. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Ben blinked. "Why?"

Mal raised her eyebrow. "Evie said you had some sort of meeting tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah..." Ben had forgotten about his meeting with the councillor from Atlantis. Of course, given what had happened today, he supposed it was understandable.

"Then we'll let you sleep," Jay said, already moving to the door.

"So we're all good?" Ben asked before Jay could leave the room. "We're okay?"

Jay paused, glancing at Mal. Running his hand through his hair, he shrugged. "I'm okay if everyone else is."

"I leave the task of telling Evie and Carlos to you," Mal said, amusement clear in her voice. 

Sighing, Jay nodded. "Of course," he murmured, and he gave Ben a half hearted salute before leaving without another word.

Ben found himself staring at the doorway, and it was only when Mal huffed that he realized he _was_ staring. Embarrassed, he turned to her.

"He left so quickly because he was embarrassed," Mal informed him, a fond smile on her lips as she too looked at the doorway. "I really didn't think he had it in him to kiss you." Her smile turned into a grin, amusement plain on her features.

And though nothing in her words told him she was upset, Ben couldn't help the way they made his stomach sink. "Mal," he said, watching her turn to him, curious. "You should be upset with me."

Mal only rolled her eyes. "I already told you I don't mind you kissing Jay," she said, waving the topic away.

"Regardless of whether you mind it or not," Ben continued, wondering if his mouth would ever shut up, "I still did it behind your back and without your permission."

She looked at him then, openly studying him, searching his face. "What do you want me to do, punish you or something?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you'd do, but it's a healthy response to be upset with someone who cheated on you," Ben said, but his own words made him pause. Was it only a healthy response if love were involved? Did this mean that Mal truly didn't love him, not even a little?

Stop overthinking; they said we'll discuss it later, he thought, scolding himself. He really did wish he could turn off his brain.

"Ben," Mal said, a sigh escaping her. "I don't consider what you did cheating." She held up her hand when he opened his mouth to protest. "I'll discuss it later. I'm not mad or upset or anything—"

"Then why did you look so tense when you found out?" Ben couldn't help but ask.

Mal narrowed her eyes. "One, don't interrupt me," she said, and for a moment, a fraction of a second, it seemed like her eyes had glowed, had turned a rich emerald. "Two, I didn't react the way I did because I was upset with you; I reacted the way I did out of concern for Jay." Her jaw flexed, telling Ben that she was uncomfortable telling the truth. "We can discuss it later, but right now you need rest."

Swallowing, Ben nodded. "Okay, Mal," he agreed, figuring he better quit now before his mouth got him into any more trouble. "I'm sorry," he added.

"Don't apologize," was all Mal said as she moved to the door.

"Good night," he called after her.

She paused by the door, her hand on the knob. "Rest well, Ben," she said, a half-smile on her lips, and she left, closing the door behind her.

For a long moment, all Ben did was stand there, staring at his door, replaying not only the events of the evening but of his time with the four of them, trying to see the things he missed. Because, apparently, they had been on separate pages, and he wanted to catch up.

A wave of weariness overtook him, sudden and encompassing, and with it came the urge to just get in bed and be done with the day.

So he did.

Falling back gracelessly on his bed, without bothering to change, Ben stared at the ceiling, his mind still replaying the events of the day, and he wondered if there were anything he could have done to avoid the awkwardness that tomorrow was sure to bring.

With a sigh, Ben closed his eyes, letting sleep take him at last.

———

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from As Long as You're Mine from Wicked.
> 
> BUT OKAY CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS SHIT OKAY over 93k words for one stinking chapter. I HAD TO SPLIT IT. I am fuming. It's all Ben's fault, that fucker, I hate him. [jk don't hate him; probably like him too much, my poor sweet unfortunate soul.]
> 
> Anyway. Now you have seen my true face! Schmoop extraordinaire! lmao I haven't written fluff in so long, y'all, I miss it dearly. This was a nice breather before shit hits the fan, le sigh. 
> 
> There were several things I wanted to talk about [LIKE EVIE'S [TIARA](http://68.media.tumblr.com/3d761ad582ad55150d9de4ebd6fb0388/tumblr_inline_mg4n1jyfLn1ryby8q.jpg) AND JAY'S [NECKLACE](http://reuvengitter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/imagegen-224.jpg) AM I RIGHT???], but as this shit got over 93k words, and as I'm super duper tired, I am a dumb and am blanking. OH BUT I WILL SAY THIS some of these little shits strayed from my outline and did things that I hadn't planned on revealing just yet. But hey, I like how things turned out. Who cares if it gives me extra work in the final chapter. Aha hah hahahahaaaa. :|
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! [even tho it's super late, hopefully this chapter is a sufficient gift to all y'all because i will cry if not but mainly hopefully y'all had good holidays okay take care of yourselves.]
> 
> also, if this doesn't take y'all at least a week to read and breathe in, i probably will cry because lmao this chapter is ridiculous in length and content and y'all'll probably realize i'm an idiot
> 
> okay now straight to work on ch9 ;-;


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